Who She Was
by I Am Miriam
Summary: Trapped in a parallel world, she waited for her saviour. She goes by Violet, but not only her name is a secret. Monsters cower before her past, and when all is revealed, where will she belong? She caused destruction. She feels the pain. Envied by many. Loved all the same. Doctor/OC Romance!
1. Age of Steel

AGE OF STEEL

"Go on, you'll miss your flight." Mickey let go of a crying Rose, who started walking towards the TARDIS as a voice stopped her.

"No, wait! Doctor!" A girl appeared, breathing heavily. "You… Where…Where's the Doctor?" She panted. Rose looked at her, confused, as the Doctor steps back out of the TARDIS.

"Who are-" he cut himself off as he saw her face. "Time Lord." He breathed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yes." Was her reply. She brushed herself off and straightened herself. "That's me. Last of the Time Lords, stuck in this dimension without a TARDIS. It's a good thing you were here for a while, I've been running for… three hours? I'm not chasing after you again, I promise you that." She spoke just like the Doctor, while he looked distraught.

"You're a Time Lord." He stated in disbelief.

She grinned, "Oh yes. And that, is a beautiful TARDIS." She moved past Mickey, who didn't know what to think, and stroked the blue box, which hummed in appreciation.

"I thought you said there were no others, Doctor." Rose looked at the girl in distaste. Her brown hair was a mess from the running she had done and her clothes looked old and rumpled.

"There isn't, in our dimension. I never thought…" He trailed off.

"Yes, you never thought there could be Time Lords in the other dimensions, stray and without a TARDIS. But there is. Me." The girl turned back to the confused crowd.

"Who are you?" Rose asked. She wasn't happy. She was sure that the Doctor would take her with them, but the Doctor was hers- and she wanted it to stay that way.

"I go by the name Violet. I always did have a fascination with Earth." She said thoughtfully. "What about you?" She smiled.

"I'm Rose." She put on a fake smile. Violet?

"You've got two flowers now, mate." Mickey laughed, feeling for the Doctor. He knew how Rose felt, it was one of the reasons he decided to stay in the parallel world. If there was another girl, Rose would draw out her claws, for sure.

"Would you like to come with me? With us, I mean." The Doctor ignored Mickey's remark and was oblivious to Rose's stare.

Violet looked at the TARDIS, then the night sky and grinned. "How could I resist?"

"Welcome on board, Violet." The Doctor returned her grin.

I was happy. After all this time on Earth, I could finally return to the stars.

"How did you find us? We were only here for a few hours." The Doctor asked me. I could tell that he was excited- no, relieved- that he wasn't alone. He had been the one to lock the Time War, and I knew that he felt the pain of it every day. His old eyes were an open book. Little did he knew that I felt the same pain, but for a different reason.

"I've always known you were out there- there was always something, just that little bit of hope. And I know of your obsession with London, so I came here. I knew you would come here sooner or later, and I've been waiting. Even bought a house. Granted, I barely used it since I was in Cardiff so often, but it was… nice, almost." She paused.

"How long have you been waiting for me?" The Doctor asked.

"Me? Oh, 150 years, roughly. Maybe a little less." I tried to cover up my hurt with nonchalance. I had spent so long waiting, hoping.

"I'm sorry." He looked genuinely upset. I nodded and walked around the TARDIS' console.

"What's the bad man been doing to you, poor girl?" I stroked her as I noted some marks and dents. "Have you been hitting her?" I turned to him in disbelief.

He looked at me sheepishly, "I never did pass that test." I laughed and turned back to her, fiddling with a few switches that were on the wrong setting.

"I feel sorry for her."

"Yeah, so does she. Constantly pitying herself, this one is." He put a hand on the console, too.

"Doctor, do you want something to eat? 'Cause I was just gonna go cook." Rose's voice sounded from the hallways, and seconds later she appeared in the console room.

"Oh, um, no thanks. You, Violet?" He looked down at me, since he was easily three inches taller than my five foot eight.

I was going to reply 'yes, thanks', but I saw the glare Rose was giving me and shook my head instead.

"No, thanks, I'll grab something later instead."

"Have fun cooking, Rose." The Doctor grinned, clearly oblivious to him companion trying to kill me with her looks.

"Thanks, Doctor!" She said cheerfully and turned away. The Doctor just stared after her with a love-y smile.

When she was gone, he turned back to me. "So, what did you do in 150 years on earth?"

I gave the hallway one more look and launched into my stories, ignoring that fact that the Rose obviously didn't want me here and that the Doctor was so clearly in love with her.

"I mean, they were controlling the whole world, basically. It didn't take a genius to figure out what would happened next. They locked me up, for a while." I paused and looked at me feet, taking a deep breath before continuing. " They wanted me to join them. Injected me with different chemicals, tried to find my breaking point when it came to electricity. Everything. They accidentally amplified my telepathy to the extent of telekinesis. Helped me get out. It's worn off, now, and it's better that way. You hear so many things, it's scary." I stopped talking when I noticed the look on the Doctor's face.

"I should have been there." He said quietly. He thought it was his fault.

I sighed, "You couldn't have been, it was impossible. In that time…I suffered, but it's okay- it's over. I know you suffer too, every day, because of what you did to end the Time War. But that's not your fault. You did good, Theta, you did what had to be done."

"What did you call me?" He snapped out of his depression.

I frowned, "It's not important. I just want you to know that the universe forgives you, they never blamed you in the first place. All you need to do is forgive yourself."

He was about to say something, but Rose's thick accent interrupted him.

"Doctor, I'm gonna get some sleep, okay?"

He smiled, "Off you go, sleeping beauty. We're going somewhere special tomorrow. You'll love it."

Rose grinned and nodded, but as soon as the Doctor turned away, her grin turned into a smug smile in my direction. I looked down and heard the disapproving hums of the TARDIS, making me stroke her.


	2. The Idiot's Lantern

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS, in a pink dress that reached mid-calves, pink heels and a bomber jacket.

"I thought we'd be going for the Vegas era, you know- the white flares and the...chest hair."

The Doctor poked his head round the TARDIS door, his hair gelled back, teddy-boy style. "You are kidding, aren't you? You wanna see Elvis, you go in the late 50's! The time before burgers." He disappeared back into the TARDIS and called out, "When they called him 'the Pelvis' and he still had a waist."

Rose laughed when he continued, "What's more, you see him in style!" The sound of an engine made Rose turn around, only to see the Doctor driving a blue scooter.

With an Elvis voice he joked, "You goin' my way, doll?"

Rose put on pink heart-shaped glasses and an American accent. "Is there any other way to go, daddy-o?"

She moved towards him and added, "Straight from the fridge, man!"

The Doctor beamed, "Hey, you speak the lingo!" and tossed her a pink helmet.

"Yeah well... me, mum, Cliff Richard movies every Bank Holiday Monday."

She gets on the moped, "Ah, Cliff! I knew your mother'd be a Cliff fan." The Doctor exclaimed while finally noticing Violet. She wore a purple version of Rose's dress, a white cardigan and a pair of heels, also, sans the stockings and glasses, replaced by a silver chocker.

"You coming?" He asked, not noting the fact that there wasn't any more space on the scooter, nor the look was Rose was giving her. So she looked around the streets, seeing something strange and replied,

"No, I'll catch up with you later. There's something I want to check out." The Doctor gave her a slight frown before driving off.

She watched them leave before heading off into the opposite direction. There was something odd going on, starting with all the receivers and the fact that the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was on the next day.

She had always had an eye for things- she was smarter than most Time Lords had been, which was saying something. And she knew for a fact that there weren't this many TVs in the 50's. After all, she had been living in these streets. So, she headed towards a shop called 'Magpie's Electricals'. It seemed like the way to go.

While she walked, she wondered what she was doing there. Rose clearly didn't want her to accompany them, and the Doctor let her stay because she was alone. She could just ask to be dropped off in 2006 and go back to Torchwood. The Doctor had told her that there was a Torchwood institute in Cardiff, as well. She could continue there.

But the TARDIS. It was so good to finally be in one again, and they had already formed a bond, mainly because Violet actually knew how to fly a TARDIS, unlike the Doctor. She let out a small chuckle at his miserable piloting skills.

She reached the shop and opened the door slowly. Magpie was adjusting a TV set on the counter and looked up nervously when she came in.

"Oh, I, I'm sorry miss, I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door." He stuttered.

Violet ignored him and shut the door behind herself, "Yeah? Well, I wanna buy a telly."

"Come back tomorrow. Please." He begs.

She looked at him suspiciously, "You'll be closed, won't you?"

"What?" He was confused.

"For the big day? The coronation..." She offered.

He nodded as if remembering, "Yes, yes, of course. The big day." She walked towards him as he said, "I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go."

"Seems to me half of London's got a television, since you're practically giving them away." Violet said slowly.

"I have my reasons." He said solemnly.

"Care to share?" Before he could answer, one of the televisions on display tuned itself, and a woman appeared on the screen.

"Hungry! Hungry!" She moaned.

"What's that?"

He enthusiastically said,"It's just a television. One of these modern programmes. Now, I really do think you should leave! Right now!" while Violet just smiled.

"Well, I actually have a few more questions. I'm sure you can answer the first one- why are your televisions so cheap?"

"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud! Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching! Imagine that!" His fake enthusiasm makes Violet's smile widen.

"And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh? So why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day?" His enthusiasm turned to urgency, making her even more determined to find out what was going on there.

"Oh, I will, right after you tell me what I need to know."

"I need to close." He stated.

"Mr Magpie, something is very wrong in this era. And it seems that you're the source of it. I saw the vans. But I know you're not the one controlling it, so tell me. I can help." She replied calmly.

The small man sighed, resigning, "I knew this would happen. I knew I'd be found out." He locked the door, but Violet didn't worry about it.

"Go on. Tell me what's going on. It's fine, nothing's gonna hurt you. Why are you helping someone ruin lives?"

"I just want peace."

"What from?" She asked.

"From her." He glanced at the television screen with the woman on it.

Violet sighed, "What's she doing to you?"

"What a smart girl." The woman said.

"I know. Thanks." She dismissed the image.

"Are you not afraid? Who are you?"

"Well, I think the question is, who are you?"

"I'm the Wire. And I'm hungry!" It screeched. She bared her teeth, causing bolts of electricity to form and shoot out of the screen and latch onto Violet's face.

And suddenly, it was gone again.

"You are… impossible! You cannot exist, you brought the end. The clouds pull together over your head, the burden you carry is so great. So. Strong." The screeching got louder, so Violet grabbed a device out of her cardigan pocket and pointed it at the screen, turning it off.

"When she comes back, you tell her that I will end this." She growled at Magpie. "You got that?" The man nodded, afraid. She gave him one more look before she went to find the Doctor.

"Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know." The detective stated. He stood over the Doctor, who was sitting behind the detective's desk next to Rose.

"Well... for starters... I know you can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet." He said with seriously.

"Don't get clever with me." The detective reprimanded him. "You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. Now, you're connected with this. Make no mistake."

"Well, the thing IS, Detective Inspector Bishop-" He started.

"How do you know my name?"

Rose laughed, "It's written inside your collar." D.I. Bishop adjusted his collar in embarrassment.

"Bless your mum. But, I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective inspecting. Are you?" The Doctor continued.

"I'm doing everything in my power." The detective said.

"All you're doing is grabbing those faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can. Don't tell me - orders from above, hmm? Coronation Day... the eyes of the world are on London Town... so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight." The Doctor spun on his chair, irritating the D.I. with his knowledge of the problem.

"The nation has an imagine to maintain." He adds.

The Doctor's curiosity got the best of him, "Doesn't it drive you mad? Doing nothing? Don't you wanna get out there and investigate?"

"Course I do. But..." The detective sat down. "With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the man-power. Even if we did... this is... beyond anything we've ever seen." He looked helpless.

"Well, two things." Violet's voice made the group turn around, Rose looking very unhappy. "First, you've got enough man-power. You've got me. Ooh, I apologise for how cocky that sounds, but it's true. And second, it isn't beyond anything you've ever seen, 'cause you have… well, me. Sorry, again, but true."

The D.I. narrowed his eyes, "Who do you think you are?"

"The person that solved you mystery with one little visit to a shop." She popped the 'p'.

"How did you do that?" He exclaimed, unbelieving of that fact that a mere girl had solved the mystery before he had.

"You really, really wouldn't believe me, so let's just skip that part, D.I. Bishop." She grinned.

"How do you know my name?" He cried.

"I'm clever." She smirked, "Now, I'm gonna need you," she pointed at the Doctor, "and you, since you're never gonna stay here anyway." She pointed at Rose. "By the way, Doctor, you're a little out of it, aren't you? Having to take the… domestic approach."

"It was her idea!" He pointed at Rose, making Violet laugh.

"Oh, come on, you." She hooked her arm through his and walked off, him filling her in on what she missed, Rose glaring at the back of her head as she followed.

"Listen you, little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round here respect me. It MATTERS what people THINK." They were walking down the street as they heard a rounded, red-headed man shouting.

"Is that why you did it, dad?" He said bravely.

The father stared,"What d'you mean? Did what?"

"You ratted on gran. How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them..." the boy figured it out.

"How DARE you? You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?" He shouted, his head turning even more red."

"You don't get it, do you? You fought AGAINST fascism, remember? People telling you how to live - who you could be friends with - who you could fall in love with - who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could DO what we want. SAY what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even gran. All to protect your precious reputation." The boy stood up to his father.

"Eddie... is that true?" The woman that the Doctor and Rose knew as Rita gasped.

"I did it for US, Rita! She was FILTHY. A filthy, disgusting THING." Her husband said.

"She's my mother. All the others - you informed on all the people in our street - our friends. "

"I had to. I did the right thing!"

"The right thing for us... or for you, Eddie?" She said softly.

When her husband just stared, she turned to her son, "You go, Tommy. You go with the Doctor and do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison. We had a ruddy monster under this roof, all right, but it weren't my mother!" She looked at Eddie one more time before slamming the door in his face.

The Doctor stepped towards the boy, "Tommy?"

"Come with us, Tommy, I'm Violet. We could use an extra hand." Violet smiled gently and held out her hand. Tommy took it, and they walked away from a man who had just lost everything.

The streets were busy with people, excitement buzzing due to the Coronation, but the group of five walked past them, heading towards Magpie's.

"There we are." The Doctor found his sonic screwdriver and opened the door while the other two men looked away.

"It calls itself the Wire. It was executed from its people and fled though the universe in the form." Violet explained.

"It that what took my nan?"

"Yes, Tommy. It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it gorges itself like a great overfed pig. Taking people's faces, their essences, it stuffs itself. Good thing is, it's stuck in the televisions."

"So smart." The Wire spoke as the Doctor waves his sonic screwdriver about the place.

"Oh, yeah, we've been over this, move on." Violet waved her off, much to the group's surprise. Especially the Doctor's.

"You've met her before?" He frowns.

"Oh, she has met me. Tell me, child, how do you know all these impossible things about me?" The Wire's image had just a slither of fear on her face, which the Doctor noticed silently.

"Well, you know, you try to steal my essence, I get a thorough look at yours. Simple telepathic skill, really. Picked it up over the years." She said nonchalantly.

"These weren't invented yet, were they?" the Doctor spoke up, holding a portable television. He licked it, then confirming, "Tastes like iron. Bakelite." He placed it down on the counter.

"Put together with human hands, yes, but the design itself..." He scanned it with his sonic screwdriver. "Oh, beautiful work. That is so simple."

"That's incredible. It's like a television, but portable. A portable television!" D.I. Bishop said with an overbearing amount of excitement, making Violet look in his direction.

The Doctor's screwdriver buzzes again, making various faces appear on the television screens. Apparently Tommy's gran, too.

"Gran?" He asks, horrified. Violet was about to step in and soothe him, but Magpie came in from a hind-room.

"What do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

"No, question is, what do you think you're doing?" the Doctor said beneath a silent fury.

"I had to! She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation." He cried. Violet scoffed.

"What does that mean?" Tommy looked afraid, looking back at his gran.

"The appointed time - my crowning glory." The Wire's image smiled.

"Yes, the coronation." Violet nodded. "For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set. But you're not strong enough yet, are you? You can't do it all from here. That's why you need that." She pointed at the portable television. "You need something more powerful! This will turn a big transmitter into a big receiver."

"What a clever thing you are! But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me - you'll be glued to the screen." The Wire cackled.

Lines of red sparking light suddenly pulled four faces into the Wire's TV - the Doctor, Tommy, Inspector and Rose.

Tommy and Rose screamed, "Doctor!"

"Hungry! Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty. Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!" The Wire continued to suck their essence out of them.

"Now, now, play time's over." Violet flashed her sonic device at the screens.

"Armed! She's armed and clever! Withdraw! Withdraw!" She severed the connection between herself and them, and all four fall to the floor, unconscious.

"Oh, come on, do you really underestimate me that much?"

"The box, Magpie! The box!" the Wire screeched. Magpie pushed me down and ran out of the door as the Wire transferred herself into the box.

"Conduct me to my victory, Magpie." Magpie left his shop, running outside and into his van.

"Now, up you get!" Violet helped the Doctor, Tommy and Rose up, seeing that it was too late for the D.I..

They ran outside to see Magpie driving off in a van.

"It's too late!" Tommy moaned.

"It's never too late, as a wise person once said - Kylie I think... But the Wire's got a big plan... so it'll need... yes, yes, yes, it's got to harness half the-" Violet interrupted the Doctor.

"Sorry, hate to interrupt, but you're rambling, as you do. We need to get to Alexandra Palace, though, so please shut up and help me."

"What are you going to do?" Tommy asked.

"Stop her."

Violet, Rose, Tommy and the Doctor are gathering equipment.

Tommy holds up a device, "Is this what you want?"

"Perfect! Right, I need one more thing." Violet shouts, grabbing it and motioning for them to follow.

While they ran, Violet and the Doctor fumbled with the equipment, him having figured out what she was going to do.

Tommy spots Magpie on the pylon, "There!" He pointed.

"Come on!" The Doctor shouted.

An official stopped them, "Woah, Woah, woah! Where do you think-" The Doctor flashed his physic paper, making the official back down.

"Oh! I'm sorry sir! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"

"They're saving us a seat." He shouted, making the official nod confusedly.

"Who did he think you were?" Rose asked.

He checked, "King of Belgium, apparently."

The Doctor and Violet dashed around gathering the equipment they needed, Tommy was in front of a video machine and television screen.

"Keep it switched on. Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it. You understand?" Violet explained, rushing.

Tommy nodded.

The Doctor and Violet sprinted back around the corner, past the confused official, trailing a stream of magnetic recording tape behind them from a reel around the Doctor's waist. He ran up the metal stairs and began climbing up the transmitter, following Magpie.

"You'll get yourself killed up there! Your Majesty!" The official shouted.

Violet replies for him, "He never does manage to kill himself!"

Magpie plugged his TV in to the main current and the Wire laughed triumphantly. Across the country, TV aerials drew in the sparks emitted for the pylon and people watching the TV were pulled in by the red electricity.

"Oh! Feast! Feast... ing! The Wire... is feasting."

"It's too late! It's too late for all of us!" Magpie shouted.

"I shall consume you... Doctor." The Wire cackled and blasted the Doctor in the face with red light, making him cry out and let go of the railing as he fall unconscious. Violet broke his fall and laid him gently on the ground.

"Sorry, Theta." She whispered and climbed up the railing herself. She inserted a switch into the TV, but nothing happened to the Wire.

"Oh dear! Has our little plan gone horribly wrong?" The Wire laughed. Violet glared at her.

"Not quite yet, because I know that that boy is brilliant! He'll find a way. I promise you, this ends now."

The Wire tried to shock the girl with the glowing eyes, but nothing happened.

"Guess what? I have a much higher pain threshold than the Doctor, your zapping isn't going to stop me!"

Finally, the light beams retreated from the pylons, televisions and people - right back into the Wire's portable television. She writhed and wailed with pain, thwarted.

"I'm sorry, but you had this coming. It's over." Violet said solemnly.

With one last piecing shriek from the Wire, the television switched off. Violet stared at it for a moment longer before rushing back down to the Doctor. She just catches him slowly coming around.

"Is it over?" He asks, holding a hand up to his head.

"Yes, she's trapped. Are you alright?" Violet asked, concerned.

The Doctor nodded, "What happened?"

"She zapped you, you fell, I trapped her." She said vaguely.

"I should be feeling a little more pain than this, shouldn't I?" He groaned as Violet helped him up.

"I broke your fall. Now come here." She opened her arms up and hugged the Doctor, feeling incredibly safe in his arms.

"Thank you." He told her sincerely. She had saved them all, while he hadn't been able to.

"I caught you, no big deal."

He chuckled and I felt his chest rumble, "No big deal? You figured out what was happening and knew what to do all along. So thank you."

A deliberate cough broke us apart.

Rose stood beside us, not looking too pleased.

"Are you alright, Doctor?" She asked with worried eyes. He nodded.

"You saved us once again." She grinned. "The best of the best, you are."

The Doctor frowned, "Well, Violet did all the work, I don't think I should take her praise."

"But you're still brilliant." Rose dismissed Violet completely, and when the Doctor looked at his fellow Time Lord, he saw her looking uncomfortable and walking away.

"What have I missed?" The Doctor asked Tommy, who was watching the Coronation, from where he leant against the doorway.

"Doctor! What happened?" Tommy jumped.

"Sorted. Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form – wasn't me, this time. Violet turned the receiver back into a transmitter and trapped the Wire in here. I just invented the home video 30 years earlier. Betamax." He held up a tape and noticed the TV.

"Oh look! God save the Queen, eh?"

Tommy, Rose and the Doctor returned to their street. There were loads of people milling around and meeting loved ones.

"Gran!" Tommy spotted her.

"Look, it's my grandson! Oh son!" Tommy ran to his gran and they held onto each other for dear life.

The Doctor scanned the crowds for Violet, but didn't find her. His smile at the happy ending faltered, but Rose started talking at his side, distracting him.

"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd." Rose suggested.

"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance. This is history right here." He bit into his Victoria Sponge.

"The domestic approach." She grinned.

"Exactly." They both laughed.

"Will it... that thing... is it trapped for good - on video?"

The Doctor nodded, "Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivalled knowledge of trans temporal extirpation methods to neutralise the residual electronic pattern."

"You what?" She laughed, not understanding a word.

"I'm going to tape over it." He smiled.

Rose laughed, "Just leave it to me, I'm always doing that."

They bumped into Tommy.

"Tell you what Tommy - you can have the scooter. Little present. Best... um... keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?"

"Good riddance." He looked over at his father. Rose started to talk to him, but the Doctor was distracted by Violet, leaning against the TARDIS and watching over the happenings. He walked up to her as she talked to the spaceship.

"Once again, everything ends well." The TARDIS hummed in reply. "You know, the Wire, she saw me, and she was afraid. I guess I had it coming. I've done too much bad for my nine generations." She absently noted. "I will miss this though. I know it was just one adventure, but it reminded me. I feel bad for leaving you in his hands though. He really doesn't know how to fly you, never has."

"Oh, come on, you know Theta better than I do. He'd never listen, he's too big-headed for his own good." She laughed at something the TARDIS had said. "I know, I know."

The Doctor decided that that would be a good time to interrupt, "I'm not big-headed!" He feigned hurt.

Violet was slightly surprised but let it pass quickly, "You really are, though." She grinned.

"Just because you girls have to stick together, doesn't mean you have to ruin my self-esteem." He smiled.

"It's our duty, for the sake of the universe." She laughed.

"Oh, alright then. But honestly, thank you for what you did. Rose is just… Rose." He turned serious. "You don't have to leave, you know."

She sighed, "I don't want to, either, but I think it's better if I do."

"Why?" He pressed. He had only just found her, and it was comforting to have someone who truly understood.

"Because-" Just then, Rose came.

"There you are, Doctor. You just ran off. Tommy made up with his father. That's good, don't you think?-" She blabbered.

"That's why." Violet said quietly, Rose didn't even notice. She slipped into the TARDIS and left the Doctor and Rose to themselves.


	3. The Impossible Planet

"Poor girl." Violet got out of the TARDIS and sympathised for it.

Rose and the Doctor followed, the latter speaking, "I dunno what's wrong with her, she's sort of... queasy. Indigestion, like she didn't wanna land."

"Oh, if you think there's gonna be trouble, we could always get back inside and go somewhere else..." Rose said seriously, before both of them burst out laughing at how unlikely that was. Violet, however was too caught up in the surroundings, which Rose was glad for.

"I think... we've landed inside a cupboard!" The Doctor looked around, "Here we go!" he opened a door and they entered another room.

"Open Door 15." A computerised, female voice said.

"Some sort of base... moon base, sea base, space base... they build these things out of kits." The Doctor shared while opening another door.

Rose listened, "Glad we're indoors - sounds like a storm out there..." Which was true.

The wind oversounded the quietly mumble words of Violet. "We shouldn't be here."

"Open Door 16." They walked into another corridor, led by the Doctor, Violet trailing behind.

"Human design - you've got a thing about kits. This place was put together like a flat-pack wardrobe, only bigger. And easier." The Doctor marvelled.

"Open Door 17."

They walked into a canteen-looking room and the Doctor strode right into the middle of it, "Oh, it's a sanctuary base!"

"Close Door 17." The computer announced Violet closing the door.

"Deep Space exploration. We've goneway out. And listen to that, underneath..." He pointed downwards, indicating for Rose to listen. "Someone's drilling."

"Welcome to hell." Rose stated.

The Doctor said, "Oh, it's not THAT bad!"

"No, over there!" His blonde companion stated and laughed, pointing at the words 'WELCOME TO HELL' written on the wall by hand. Symbols were written underneath it, sparking curiousity in Violet. She moved forwards and touched the wall, her fingers trailing after the words. Her face fell when she translated them for herself.

"Hold on..." He crouched down in front of the text, causing Violet to move away as soon as he did. He didn't notice, however, since he was too caught up in his own world, "What does that say?"

He inspected it closer, "That's weird. It won't translate."

"But I thought the TARDIS translated everything, writing as well. We should see English." Rose moved next to him.

"Exactly. If that's not working, then it means... this writing is old. Very old. Impossibly old." He breathed.

"We should find out who's in charge." He turned the wheel of another metal door to open it while talking, "We've gone beyond the reach of the TARDIS' knowledge. Not a good move. And if someone's lucky enough-"

"Open Door 19."

The door opened and the pair were greeted by creatures with tentacle-like things hanging from their face and a lit-up plastic ball in their hand, attached to whatever was under the tentacles.

"Right! Hello! Sorry! Uh... I was just saying, uh... nice base!" The Doctor composed himself.

Simultaniously, the Ood spoke, "We must feed."

"You're gonna what?" He looked genuinely confused.

"We must feed." They repeated.

"Yeah. I think they mean us." She panicked, backing up. Violet just stood and watched silently, not seeing the Ood as threat.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed." They chanted as the Doctor and Rose ran for the other door, but they were greeted by more Ood, also chanting.

Yet another door is opened, revealing more Ood, which corner the pair of time travellers. They completely forgot the girl leaning against a wall, still silently observing.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

The Doctor fished his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as Rose grabbed a chair and armed herself with it.

"We must feed. We must feed."

The duo were cornered into a wall- the Ood were aproaching them from all sides.

"We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed. We must feed."

One of the Ood tapped his lit-up ball, "You. If you are hungry."

"Sorry?" The Doctor asked, confused, and lowered his screwdriver.

"We apologise. Electromagnetics have interfered with our speech systems." The Ood spoke, making Rose put down her chair."Would you like some refreshment?" It asked.

"Uhm..." Was all the Doctor could produce.

"Open Door 16." A man entered, flanked by two other men carrying guns.

"What the hell...? How did...?" His American voice said. He approached Rose and the Doctor, also not noticing Violet.

The man spoke into a device on his arm in disbelief, "Captain... you're not going to believe this. We've got PEOPLE. Out of nowhere. I mean, real people. I mean two... living... people. Just standing here, right in front of me."

Rose and the Doctor wore puzzled masks on their faces as the 'Captain' replied, "Don't be stupid, that's impossible."

"I suggest telling THEM that." The man stared at the couple.

"But you're a sort of space base, you must have visitors now and then. It can't be that impossible." Rose quizzically asked.

"You're telling me you don't know where you are?" He asked roughly.

The Doctor grins, "No idea. More fun that way."

A voice sounded, "Stand by, everyone. Buckle down. We have incoming. And it's a big one. Quake Point 5 on its way." The based started to quake and tremble, and the man that adressed them opened a door and urges them to follow.

"Through here! Now. Quickly, come on!" The sound of sirens prompt them to listen. "Now!"

Violet follows silently still, not causing a fuss at the smoke and shuddering of the corridor the rush through.

"Move it! Come on! Come on, come on!" The American man shouts, and Rose screams as sparks fly in front of her. "Move it, come on! Quickly! Move it!" He repeats.

The continued and barged into what looked like the control room of the base. A black man, assumedly the captain, looked up as they entered, the rest of the crew looking up from their work as well. Their mouths drop open, causing the Doctor to beam at them.

"Oh, my GOD. You meant it." The captain looked at the other crew members.

"People! Look at that! Real people!" A woman moved up to them.

"That's us. Hooray!" The Doctor said, looking a little disturbed.

Rose smiled hesitantly, "Yeah, definitely real. My name's Rose... Rose Tyler, and-and this is the Doctor."

An Indian-looking young man strode over to them, "Come on... the oxygen must be offline. We're hallucinating. They can't be... no. They're real!"

The captain sighed impatiently, "Come ON, we're in the middle of an alert! Danny, strap up, the quake's coming in! Impact in thirty seconds!" The seconds were counted down on a computer. "Sorry, you two, whoever you are. Just... hold on. Tight." He told the two. Since nobody had noticed Violet, she just grabbed onto whatever she could.

"Hold on to what?" Rose asked.

"Anything. I don't care. Just hold on." The captain said calmy, "Ood, are we fixed?"

"Your kindness in this emergency is much appreciated."

"What's this planet called, anyway?" The Doctor called over.

"Now, don't be stupid. It hasn't got a name. How could it have a name?" A woman asked them rhetorically, causing the Doctor to raise his eyebrows. "You really don't know, do you?" She said.

"And... IMPACT!" The captain shouted, just as the entire base started shaking violently. They are thrown around but the shudders pass quickly, and the Doctor stood up.

"Oh, well, that wasn't so bad-" He was mistaken and thrown backwards when the base shook again, this time twice as strong. A console caused a small explosion and sparks flew around the room as they were tossed around the room.

Once it finally stopped, Zach called register.

"Everyone all right? Speak to me, Ida?" He asked.

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Danny?"

"Fine." The Indian replied.

"Toby?"

"Yeah, fine."

"Scooti?"

"No damage."

"Jefferson?"

"Check!" The American with a fire extinguisher shouted.

"We're fine, thanks, fine, yeah, don't worry about us." The Doctor motioned to him and Rose.

"But what about her?" Danny pointed to Violet who had already regained composure and was leaning against a wall again, still completely still. She hadn't said a word since they had left the TARDIS.

The Doctor looked over to her, shock crawling over his features.

"I'm fine." She said quietly and moved away and scooped some documents from the floor, examining them.

The Doctor watched her for a few moments, ashamed that he had forgotten she was even with them, then looked at Rose, who shrugged before turning away and looking smug.

"The surface caved in." The captain, Zach, stated. The computer shows the units that have been lost. "I deflected it onto storage 5 through 8. We've lost them completely. Toby, go and check the rocket link."

"That's not my department." Toby argued.

"Just do as I say, yeah?" Zach watched Toby grudgingly leave the room.

"Oxygen holding. Internal gravity 56.6. We should be okay." Ida checked the readings.

Rose looked around, "Never mind the earthquake, that's... that's one hell of a storm. What is that, a hurricane?"

"You'd need an atmosphere for a hurricane. There's no air out there. It's a complete vacuum."

Violet tuned out as she translated some more symbols on a piece of paper, but looked up at the sight of a stunning black hole above them.

"That's a black hole." Rose said.

"But that's impossible." The Doctor exclaimed.

Zach sighed, "I did warn you."

"We're standing under a black hole." The Doctor breathed.

"We're in orbit." Ida announced.

"But we can't be..." He emthasised.

"You can see for yourself. We're in orbit."

He turned to look at her, "But we CAN'T be."

"This lump of rock is suspended in perpetual geostationary orbit around that black hole without falling in. Discuss." Ida explained, as if speaking to a kid, even if that kid was highly educated, even more so than herself.

"And that's bad, yeah?" Rose asked hesitantly.

"That doesn't cover it... a black hole's a dead star, it collapses in on itself, in and in and in until the matter's so dense and tight it starts to pull everything else in too. Nothing in the universe can escape it. Light, gravity- time- everything just gets pulled inside... and crushed." The Doctor explained.

"So, they can't be in orbit. We should be pulled right in." Rose looked up at it, scared.

"We should be dead." He said.

"And yet... here we are. Beyond the laws of physics. Welcome on board." Ida looked the tiniest bit smug.

"But if there's no atmosphere out there, what's that?" Rose pointed at the clouds which approached the black hole.

"Stars breaking up... gas clouds... we have whole solar systems being ripped apart above our heads before falling into that thing." Ida responded in awe and with great respect for the black hole.

"So, a bit worse than a storm, then." Rose commented jokingly.

"Just a bit."

"Just a bit, yeah."

The Base shook again.

Toby entered the control room again, seeing everyone crowded around the main computer. Everyone but Violet.

"Close Door 1."

"The rocket link's fine." Toby confirmed.

After pushing a button, a hologram of the black hole showed up and the Doctor took out his glasses.

"That's the black hole officially designated K37 Gen 5." Zach told them.

Ida continued, "In the scriptures of the Falltino, this planet is called 'Kroptor'. The bitter pill. And the black hole is supposed to be a mighty demon. It was tricked into devouring the planet, only to spit it out. Because it was poison."

"The bitter pill. I like that." Rose commented.

"We are so far out. Lost in the drifts of the universe - how did you even GET here?!" The Doctor stared at the hologram.

"We flew in. You see..." Zach pressed another button and the hologram showed the planet an a gravity tunnel emerging from it. "This planet's generating a gravity field. We don't know how - we've no idea, but... it's kept in constant balance against the black hole. And the field extends out there. As a funnel. A distinct... gravity funnel, reaching out into clear space. That was our way in."

"You flew down that thing?" Rose grinned, "Like a rollercoaster."

"By rights, the ship should've been torn apart. We lost the Captain... which is what put me in charge..." Zach frowned.

"You're doing a good job." Ida consoled him.

"Yeah. Well, needs must." Zach sighed.

Danny got back to the topic, "But if that gravity funnel closes, there's no way out."

"We had fun speculating about that." Scooti spoke up.

"Oh, yeah. That's the word." Danny whacked her on the head,"Fun."

"But that field would take phenomenal amounts of power! I mean... not just big, but off the scale! Can I...?" The Doctor was stumped and gestured to the controls.

Ida nodded, "Sure. Help yourself."

Violet tuned out once again, but vaguely heard Rose discussing with Danny about the Ood and slaves. She, on the other hand, just stared at the paper still in her hand. Finally, she put it down and looked up at the now covered ceiling, blocking their view of the black hole.

"There we go. D'you see? To generate that gravity field, and the funnel, you'd need a power source with an inverted self-extrapolating reflex of six to the power of six every six seconds." The Doctor pushed away his calculator.

"That's a lot of sixes." Rose stated.

"And it's impossible."

Zach exclaimed, "It took us two years to work that out!"

"I'm very good." The Doctor replied in his version of modestly.

"But... that's why we're here. This power source is ten miles below through solid rock. Point Zero. We're drilling down to try and find it." Ida explained.

"It's giving off readings of over ninety stats on the Blazen Scale."

"We could revolutionize modern science." Ida said enthusiastically.

"We could use it to fuel the Empire." Jefferson pondered.

"Or start a war." The Doctor took his glasses off.

"It's buried beneath us. In the darkness, waiting." Toby sighed.

"What's your job? Chief dramatist?" Rose retorted, making the Doctor smirk.

"Well, whatever it is down there is not a natural phenomenon. And this, er, planet once supported life. Eons ago, before the human race had even learned to walk." Toby told them.

"I saw that lettering written on the wall. Did YOU do that?" The Doctor asked.

Toby nodded, "I copied it from fragments we found on earth by the drilling, but I can't translate it."

"No, neither can I. And that's saying something."

"There was some form of civilisation. They buried something. Now it's reaching out. Calling us in." Toby continued.

"And you came." The Doctor beamed.

"Well, how could we not?" Ida exclaimed. The hologram was switched off, but the Doctor still grinned.

"So, when it comes right down to it, why did you come here? Why did you do that? Why? I'll tell you why. Because it was THERE. Brilliant. Excuse me, ah, Zach, wasn't it?"

"That's me."

"Just stand there, 'cos I'm gonna hug you. Is that all right?"

"I s'pose so."

The Doctor edged towards him, "Here we go. Coming in." He threw his arms around him. "Ahh, human beings, you are amazing!"

"Thank you." He released Zach.

"Not at all." He replied.

"But apart from that, you're completely mad. You should pack your bags and get back in that ship and fly for your lives." The Doctor advised them, just as Violet came to a realisation. She looked up, alarmed and horrified, and ran out of the door.

"What's with her?" Danny looked after her.

"I have no idea." The Doctor replied, concerned. Rose grabbed his hand, cancelling out any thoughts of running after her.

"How did you get here anyway?" Ida asked curiously.

"Oh, I've got this um... this... it's hard to explain, it just sort of... appears." He stumbled over his words. He never had known a good way to describe the TARDIS.

"We can show you, we parked down the corridor from um... oh, what's it called? Uh, habitation area..." Rose looked at the Doctor.

"Three."

"Three. Three." Rose finished.

"Do you mean storage six?" Zach asked slowly.

"Uh, it was a bit of a cupboard, yeah." The Doctor said cheerfully, before noticing Zach glance uncomfortably at Ida. "Storage six, but you said..."

"You said... you said storage five to eight." He took off in the direction Violet went, Rose following.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Rose shouted, confused.

The first thing the Doctor saw was Violet, with her head leant against the cool metal door. For a second, he watched her, Rose still having to catch up, as she suddenly lashed out and kicked the door.

Rose caught up, panting heavily, making Violet snap out of it and face the two.

"Doctor, the TARDIS is in there. What's happened?"

She tried to get his attention, but he just looked distantly at Violet. "The TARDIS is gone."

In the canteen area, the lights flickered. Rose, the Doctor and Violet sat at a table. The latter had been sitting at the table since they returned from the TARDIS, or better yet- where the TARDIS should have been.

"Zach- have we got a problem?" Ida spoke into her comm. device.

"No more than usual. Got the Scarlet System burning up, it might be worth a look." He replied, and Ida tells the guests,

"You might wanna see this. Moment in history." The black hole was revealed and Violet looked up from the table to see a red cloud, formerly known as the Scarlet System, spiralling into the black hole.

After explaining what it was and honouring it, Ida went to close it up again, but Violet spoke.

"Could you leave it open, please?" Her voice was quiet, but she was heard.

Everyone turned to look at the girl that hadn't spoken in hours. Ida nodded, feeling the need to obey the girl's only wish.

The crew all found a reason to leave until only the three stray travellers remained in the canteem.

"I've seen films and things, yeah - they say black holes are like gateways to another universe." Rose said.

"Not that one. It just eats." The Doctor replied solemnly, casting a glance at Violet. What was wrong with her?

"Long way from home..." Rose mused. She got out her phone and sighed, "No signal. That's the first time we've gone out of range. Mind you, even if I could... what would I tell her...? Can you build another TARDIS?" She laughed half-heartedly, knowing it's impossible.

"They were grown, not built. And with my own planet gone... we're kind of stuck."

"Well, it could be worse. This lot said they'd give us a lift." Rose tried to console him, knowing it pained him to talk of his home.

He looked at her, "And then what?"

"I dunno... find a planet... get a job... live a life, same as the rest of the universe." She suggested.

"Pfft... I'd have to settle down. In a house or something, a proper house with... with... with... with DOORS and things. Carpets! Me! Living in a house!" He exclaimed, making Rose laugh.

"Now that... that is terrifying." He continued.

"You'd have to get a mortgage." Rose sang.

"...No." The Doctor looked at her, horrified.

"Oh yes." She grinned.

"I am dying. That's it. I am dying, it is all over." He joked.

"What about me? I'd have to get one too. I dunno, could... could be the same one, we could both..." She caught his eye. "I dunno... share. Or not, you know. Whatever."

"What would you do, Violet?" He asked, changing the topic.

She looked and blinked, oblivious to the topic. "Pardon?"

"On Earth. What are you going to do?" The Doctor asked.

"What I planned, I guess. Torchwood and all." She answered distractedly.

He frowned, "What's wrong? Something has been bothering you ever since we stepped out of the TARDIS."

As she was just about to say something, Rose's phone rang.

"He is awake." A beastly voice said. Shocked, Rose flung the phone to the floor.

Violet looked up, "That's it." was all she said before heading off, her companions left to follow.

"Evening!" They all barged into what was Ood Habitation.

Rose smiled, "Only us!"

Danny, working at a computer looked up, "The mysterious trio. How are you, then? Settling in?"

Violet looked at the computer and pushed the man away from it. As she typed, the Ood sat in an area below them on benches, in order and silent and a balcony overlooked the area. Violet started speaking, which none of the group had expected, and Danny didn't look too happy that someone had interrupted his work, but he listened to her nonetheless.

"The Ood have a low-level telepathic field. Your communicator," The girl pointed at Rose, "It could have picked up a signal- you know, stray signals from all the planets and satellites being pulled into the black hole, but it isn't. Because look at this, Danny." She pointed at the screen. "You monitor their telepathic field, and it's only supposed to go up to Basic 5. And what's that?"

"Not Basic 5. That's 10." The Doctor commented.

"20."

"30."

"Well what does that mean?" A frightened Rose asked.

"They're screaming in their minds." Danny said at the same time as Violet stated,

"They're being screamed at in their minds." She moved to the railing and looked down at the Ood.

"He is awake." She said forcefully.

The Ood looked up at her and replied as one, "And you will worship him."

"He is awake." She repeated.

"And you will worship him."

"Worship who?" The Doctor asked, puzzled. "Who's talking to you? Who is it?"

They didn't reply.

"They won't answer." Violet said quietly. "They're possessed."

Rose and the Doctor were down by the Ood, checking them for anything that could help them since Violet had reverted to her silent form and wouldn't answer any of their questions.

The base shook as the computer voice sounded, "Emergency hull breach. Emergency hull breach."

"Which section?" Danny asked, scared.

After a brief silence, the captain ordered, "Everyone... evacuate 11 to 13, we've got a breach! The base is open. Repeat: the base is OPEN." The four people started running, Jefferson leading the way as steam burst out from pipes and sparks flew.

"I can't contain the oxygen field, we're gonna lose it!" Zach shouted.

They span a door open and made it into a corridor where the rest of the crew were catching their breath.

"Come on! Keep moving!" Jefferson yelled. He pulled Toby through the door and added, "You too, Toby!"

"Everyone all right?! What happened? What was it?" The Doctor shouted out.

"Hull breach! We were open to the elements. A couple of minutes and we'd have been inspecting that black hole at close quarters." The American replied, panting, as Rose crouched down to help Toby who was on the floor. Violet slowly edged away from him, instead, feeling that something was wrong with him.

"We've lost sections 11 to 13. Everyone all right?" Zach's voice came through the comm.

"We've got everyone here except Scooti." Jefferson said. "Scooti, report." Nothing could be heard except static and a beep. "Scooti Manista? That's an order. Report."

"She's all right." Zach told them, causing him and Ida to let out a breath of relief. "I picked up her bio chip, she's in Habitation 3."

Jefferson said something, but Violet didn't hear, since she was intently watching Toby, who looked at his clean hands.

The crew left and the Doctor crouched down next to him.

"What happened?"

"I don't- I dunno, I- I was working and then I can't remember. All- all that noise, the room was falling apart, there was no air-" Toby babbled, looking flustered. Rose helped him to his feet and they made their way to Habitation 3.

From what Violet could hear, they were looking for Scooti, and she told them,

"I'm so sorry." The crew turned to look at her, but she just pointed at the open roof, revealing Scooti floating eerily towards the black hole. Everyone stared, horrified at losing a collegue. They were all shocked, so Violet went and closed the shutters.

"Captain... report Officer Scootori Manista PKD... deceased. 43K2.1." Jefferson stated quietly. "For how should Man die better than facing fearful odds? For the ashes of his father... and the temples of his Gods." His voice dropped to a whisper and a heart-broken look crossed his face as the shutters came to a close, leaving the room in a gloomy darkness.

"It's stopped." Violet said after moments of silence.

Ida nodded, "We've stopped drilling. We've made it. Point Zero. "

The entire crew was at the mineshaft, Ida in a space-suit, shouting. "Capsule established. All systems functioning... the mineshaft is go... bring systems online now."

The Doctor was also geared up and approached Zach, "Reporting as a volunteer for the expeditionary force."

Zach stared at him, "Doctor, this is breaking every single protocol. We don't even know who you are."

"Yeah, but you trust me, don't you?" Zach looked at him warily. "And you can't let Ida go down there on her own. Go on... look me in the eye... yes you do, I can see it. Trust."

"I should be going down." Zach stated.

"The Captain doesn't lead the mission. He stays here. In charge." He countered.

"Not much good at it, am I?" Zach didn't get a reply, just a long look until he broke down and sighed.

"Positions! We're going down in two. Everyone, positions!" He shouted.

Rose and the Doctor approached each other, and Violet gave them a moment before joining them.

"Not if I see you first." She heard Rose say before laughing and kissing his helmet. Violet cleared her throat, earning their attention.

"Normally, I would be kicking and scratching to go down there and explore, but I don't need to anymore. I need to help up here, because it's gonna be... hell." She sighed, "Be careful. And… just know that nothing is impossible."

"Well, except me, right?" He grinned, expecting a laugh.

"I'm serious. Be careful." She waited for him to nod before she turned away and helped with the computers, leaving the Doctor slightly confused but happy that she wasn't as silent as she had been before. He made a mental note to talk to her and find out what was bothering her when this was over.

The count-down boomed through the ship before the capsule descended down the shaft.

Rose waves, smiling. The Doctor waves back, returning the smile.

Everything revolved around the capsule and the pit for a while, before Danny spoke over the comm.

"Captain, sir. There's something happening with the Ood."

"What are they doing?" Zach asked.

"They're staring at me. I've told them to stop, but they won't." He said lowly.

"Danny, you're a big boy. I think you can take being STARED at." Zach sighed.

"But the telepathic field, sir. It's at Basic 100! I've checked- there isn't any fault. It's definitely 100."

"Danny, leave. Seriously. Just get up, lock the door and come over here." Violet said firmly from the computer she was at. Jefferson and Rose looked at her in confusion. "Soldiers. They spoke of soldiers." She mumbled to herself while typing again.

"What's Basic 100 mean?" Rose asked.

"Brain death." Jefferson told her.

Zach, despite Violet's warnings, told them to stay and watch them.

Violet was done with the computer and sat in a corner, just waiting for it all to go wrong. She stared at Toby, blocking out everything but his image. He talked to someone from his crouched position, where he constantly checked his hand in paranoia. "The mind. The mind will take form of a man and rise in secret." She thought.

Then he stood up and revealed his face, covered in the ancient symbols and eyes glowing red. He continued to speak, even after Jefferson pointed his gun at him, but Violet still blocked out the sound, her eyes fixed on Toby.

"He is awake." She stood up suddenly, catching his attention.

"And you will worship him." He growled with the voice of a beast.

"Look me in the eye." She demanded, and he obliged, hissing when he saw into them.

"You bring destruction. So much blood on your hands, so many have fallen. You are the impossibility of time and space itself."

"Yes. I am." She said solemnly. "And these are people. Innocent. You are possessing a body that isn't yours, and I order you to leave it."

"Why?" He growled.

"Because I'm impossible." She said firmly, watching as Toby's eyes lit up and the symbols evaporated off of his face, transferring into the Ood as swirls of black smoke. He coughed and fell, no longer visibly possessed.

"The Legion shall be many. And the Legion shall be few...

He has woven himself in the fabric of your life since the dawn of time.

Some may call him Abaddon. Some may call him Kroptor. Some may call him Satan...

Or Lucifer...

Or the Bringer of Despair...

The Deathless Prince. The Bringer of Night.

These are the words that shall set him free.

I shall become manifest."

Ood spoke the same words all over the base, and Violet growled.

"You shouldn't have done that!" She motioned at Rose, Danny and Jefferson, "Get out!" All of them ran towards the door, trying to open it, Jefferson reversing with his run pointed at the Ood.

"I shall walk in might.

My Legions shall swarm across the worlds..."

The entire base shook and Zach's voice shouted over the comm. "We're moving! The whole thing's moving! The planet's moving!"

"I am the sin and the temptation.

And the desire.

I am the pain and the loss and the dead will come."

Zach continued, terrified, "The gravity field... it's going! We're losing orbit! We're gonna fall into the black hole!"

They try to open the door, but after seeing it wouldn't budge, Violet ran up to a computer, trying to override the lock, going into the security system.

"I have been imprisoned for eternity. But no more."

Rose and Danny frantically tried to open the door.

"The Pit is open. And I am free."


	4. The Satan Pit

Violet typed frantically at the computer, seeing Jefferson get ready to fire.

"Oh, no you don't!" She shouted, and pressed one last button, making the Ood drop to the floor. She left her place and kneeled down beside one of them. It's eyes had returned to their normal colour and it lay on the ground, blinking slowly... until it died.

"What did you do?" The man with the gun yelled. Violet closed all of the Ood's eyes before replying.

"The least I could do. A peaceful death."

"That's no better than me shooting them! They're still dead!" He retorted.

She stood up and faced him, "Would killing them make you feel better? Because I've killed, and I am not proud of it." They just stared at each other for a while, until Zach's voice sounded.

"We're stabilising..." He said, "We've got orbit."

Rose walked over the dead bodies of the Ood and picked up the comm device.

"Doctor?"

Only static.

"Doctor, can you hear me? Doctor? Ida? Are you there?"

A door opened, and Jefferson and a guard greeted Danny with guns.

"It's me! But they're coming." He warned. "It's the Ood. They've gone mad."

Jefferson approached to door. "Danny, out of the way." He doesn't move, so he gets louder. "Out of the way!"

"Jefferson!" Violet spun around. "Don't you dare open that door. Right now, I don't care if you're some kind of maniac with a kill list, but if you open that door, you are putting every life in this room at risk. And I won't allow that." He looked at her before moving back to the door.

"Don't!" She shouted, but he ignored her and arranges his gun while the guard opened the door. Immediately, he was struck down by the communication globe one of the Ood held in his hand. Jefferson started firing while Danny rushed to close the door.

Once it was closed, Violet just glared at Jefferson and gestured to the guard.

"I can't believe you."

"Jefferson, what's happening, there?" Zach asked.

The man in question looked up at Violet before replying, "I've got very little ammunition, sir. How about you?"

"All I've got is a bolt gun. With uh... all of one bolt. I could take out a grand total of one Ood. Fat lot of good that is."

"Given the situation," Jefferson said seriously, "I recommend Strategy Nine."

"Strategy Nine agreed. Right, we need to get everyone together. Rose? What about Ida and the Doctor? Any word?" He said defeatedly.

Rose shook her head, "I can't get any reply, just... NOTHING, I keep trying, but it's..."

"No! Sorry, I'm fine. Still here!" The cheery voice of the Doctor sounded after a cackling.

Violet focused on the computer in front of her, having hacked into the main system. She read up on Strategy Nine and he frown became deeper.

Strategy Nine was slaughter. They wanted to open the airlocks, and while they were safe in lockdown, the Ood got sucked into the black hole.

She snapped out of her rage just long enough to hear Jefferson's wish to kill Toby.

"If necessary." She heard him say.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked calmly, but Rose reluctantly recognised that tone. She was fuming.

"Two members of your crew have died today and you want to make it a third. There's a reason why so many races admire humans. It's because your good and because you don't live for war or death and destruction. So, tell me, Jefferson, what's happened to you to make this keen on bringing death?" She stared at him. Rose knelt down next to Toby,

"Look at his face. Whatever it was, it's gone. It passed into the Ood. You saw it happen. He's clean." She said.

"He's not dying." Violet stated before adding quietly for herself. "Not by your hand, anyway."

Jefferson considered this, "Any sign of trouble... I'll shoot him."

"You wouldn't dare." Violet dismissed him.

Jefferson, Danny, Violet and Rose were waiting for Ida and the Doctor to make contact.

"Okay, we're in. Bring us up." Ida said. Rose smiled in anticipation of seeing the Doctor again.

"Ascension in..."

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

Instead of the capsule being pulled up, however, the mechanism failed and the lights flickered out.

"This is the Darkness. This is my domain." The voice of the Beast returned.

The display on the screen changed to that of several of the Ood standing together, holding up their comunicator, since the Beast was speaking throught them.

"You little things that live in the light... clinging to your feeble Suns which die in the..."

"That's not the Ood. Something's talking through them." Zach pointed out.

"Only the Darkness remains."

"!This is Captain Zachary Cross Flane of Sanctury Base Six representing the Torchwood archive. You will identify yourself." The captain ordered.

"You know my name."

"What do you want?"

"You will die here. All of you. This planet is your grave."

"It's him. It's him. It's him..." Toby whimpered.

The Doctor spoke through the comm, "If you are the Beast, then answer me this: which one? Hmm? 'Cos the universe has been busy since you've been gone. There's more religions than there are planets in the sky. The Archivits... Pordonity, Christianity... Pash-Pash, New Judaism... Sanclar... Church of the Tin Vagabond - which devil are you?"

"All of them."

"What, then you're the truth behind the myth?"

"This one knows me - as I know him. The killer of his own kind. Like the girl. The killer of so many more than her own."

He chose not to acknowledge that, "How did you end up on this rock?"

"The disciples of the Light rose up against me. And chained me in the pit for all eternity."

"When was this?"

"Before time."

"What does THAT mean?!" He exclaimed.

"Before time."

"What does 'before time' MEAN?" He pressed.

"Before light and time and space and matter. Before the cataclysm. Before this universe was created."

"That's impossible. No life could have existed back then."

"Is that your religion? The girl knows better."

"It's a belief."

"You know nothing. All of you. So small.

The Captain, so scared of command.

The soldier, haunted by the eyes of his wife.

The scientist, still running from daddy.

The little boy who lied...

The virgin...

And the lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child who will die in battle so very soon."

"Doctor, what does it mean?" Rose panicked.

"Rose, don't listen." He said quietly.

"What does it mean?" She pushed.

"The girl that brought death upon so many, the girl that made the planets fall." That was Violet.

"You will die... and I will live."

The footage of the Ood was suddenly replaced with a roaring horned beast, which caused everyone but the Doctor and Violet to gasp and stumble backwards.

"What the hell was that?" Danny asked, trembling.

Everyone started speaking over each other, scared. The voices escalated while the Doctor and Violet listened silently, a headache slowly creeping up on them.

"Listen." Violet said. Nobody heard.

Rose spoke.

Then Ida.

Toby was scared for his life.

"Please be quiet." The Doctor tried.

Danny was close to crying.

Jefferson muttered words.

Zach prayed.

"I said, 'LISTEN!" Violet screamed over all of them, finally silencing them.

"If you want voices in the dark, listen to mine- that thing is playing with very basic fears. Darkness, childhood nightmares and all that stuff." The Doctor calmed them, grateful for Violet shutting them up.

"But that's how the devil works." Danny stated.

Violet scoffed, "Or a good psychologist."

"But... how did it know about my father?" Ida asked cautiously, not really wanting to know.

The man standing next to her paused, "Okay, but what makes his version of the truth any better than mine? Hmm? Cos I'll tell you what I can see: humans. Brilliant humans. Humans who travel all the way across-"

Suddenly, he is cut off by a louad bang, indicating the snap of the capsule's cable.

"The cable's snapped!" Ida shouted.

"Get out!"

On the exploration deck, where most of the crew stood, a cloud of dust wafts up.

"Doctor! We lost the cable! Doctor, are you all right?" Rose asked, terrified for her companion. "Doctor?"

"Comms are down." Zach told her.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?" Rose shouted down the comm nontheless.

"I've still got life signs, but... we've lost the capsule." Zach said with remorse in his voice.

Rose tried the comms again anyway, but Zach confirmed, "There's no way out. They're stuck down there."

"But we've GOT TO bring them back." Rose said.

"They're ten miles down. We haven't got another ten miles of cable." Jefferson pointed out the obvious, jumping with the rest of them as another loud bang on the door sounded. "Captain? Situation report." He requested.

Zach sighed, "It's the Ood. They're cutting through the door bolts. They're breaking in."

"Yeah, it's the same on Door 25."

"How long's it gonna take?" Rose asked.

"Well, it's only a basic frame, it should take ten minutes." After another bang, he corrected, "Eight."

"I've got a security frame, it might last a bit longer, but that doesn't help you." Zach said.

Rose noded, "Right. So we need to stop them - or get out - or both."

"I'll take both, yeah? But how?" Danny said, exasperated.

"You heard the Doctor. Why do you think that thing cut him off? 'Cos he was making sense. He was telling you to think your way out of this. Come on!" She exclaimed.

"There's nothing I can do. Some captain, stuck in here, pressing buttons." The captain said bitterly.

Rose looked helpless, so Violet stepped in, having watched them deal with the crisis for a bit, for once not noticing the look Rose gave her.

"I guess that's my cue. Alright, Mr. Zachary, Captain! Can we get some lights?"

"They've gutted the generators!" Zach told her, then realised, "But the rocket's got an independent supply. If I could reroute that... Mr Jefferson? Open the bypass conduits. Override the safety..."

He pressed the appropriate buttons, "Opening bypass conduits, sir."

"Channeling rocket feed. In 3... 2... 1... power." The lights came back on, making the crew sigh in relief.

"And on the second day, he said 'Let there be light'. Brilliant!" Violet grinned. "Now, I've read up on the Strategy Nine thing, you're throwing that one out of the window. Not happening."

"That's protected with all kinds of passwords! How did you get through that?" The American soldier frowned.

"I learned how to override passwords in my nursery." She snorted. "Now, Mr. Jefferson, we're going to want to leave sooner or later, get going on that."

She approached the boy crouched in a corner, "And Toby."

He stood up, "I'm not a soldier. I can't do anything."

"That's very true. So, why don't you do some more translating." She said and shoved some more paper into his hands to keep him occupied. He had been possessed, and with a rough idea of what was going on, she couldn't risk him messing something up for them.

"Now, Danny-boy. I want you to find a virus we have on board, something temporary to disrupt the telepathy. I checked the system- flip the monitor, broadcast the flare... Should do the job without killing them. Got that?"

His face lit up, but deflated after a few seconds, "But we'd need to transmit from the central monitor. We'd have to go to Ood habitation."

"What do you think Jeff over there is working on?" She gave him a smile. "Now, start searching."

She went to the man looking for a way out, "Mr Jefferson! You have a network of maintenance tunnels running underneath the base."

"But there's no ventilation. No air, in fact - at all. They were designed for machines, not life forms." He replied.

"Which is why we have Zach! You can manipulate the oxygen field from the control room!" She gestured to the comms., seeing as Zach wasn't present.

"Yeah! Create discrete pockets of atmosphere... if I control it manually... I can follow you through the network." He sounded hopeful.

"Brilliant! Okay, we need to get to Ood Habitation, work out a route." She told the men.

A violent bang made Rose, Jefferson and Toby look up from the grate they moved aside to get to the maintenance tunnels. Danny was still at the computer, Violet standing between them.

"Danny!" Rose shouted.

"Hold on! Just conforming..." He murmered. Violet ran up to him, typed in a few commands and grabbed a computer chip from the machine.

"Let's go!" They hurried to the rest of the group.

"Put that in the monitor... and it's a bad time to be an Ood!" Danny grinned.

"We're coming back. Have you got that? We're coming back to this room and we're getting the Doctor out." Rose was determined.

"Okay, Danny, you go first, then you Miss Tyler, then you" He gestured at Violet, "then Toby, I'll go last in defence of position. Now come on! Quick as you can!" They all lowered themselves down into the tunnels in the order Jefferson specified.

Rose crawled along the tunnel behind Danny, "God, it stinks. You all right?" She moans.

"Yeah, I'm laughing." He said sarcastically. "Which way do we go?" He asked Zach.

"Just go straight ahead. Keep going 'til I say so." The captain told them and they started advancing.

"Not your best angle, Danny." Rose commented.

"Oi! Stop it!" He exclaimed.

"I dunno, it could be worse." Toby looked at the view in front of him, seeing Violet's skinny jeans-clad behind.

"Watch it!" She laughed, not offended.

"Straight along until you find junction 7.1. Keep breathing. I'm feeding you air. I've got you." The captain told them.

The kept going until the reached a junction and stop, catching their breath.

"We're at 7.1, sir." Danny said.

"Okay, I've got you... I'm just aerating the next section."

"Getting kinda cramped, sir... can't you hurry up?" Danny asked, being pushy.

"I'm working on half power, here." Zach defended.

"Stop complaining." Jefferson said.

Rose told Danny, "Mr Jefferson says 'stop complaining'."

"I heard."

"He heard."

"But the air's getting a bit thin." Toby said anxiously.

"HE'S complaining now."

"I heard." The American said.

Danny wiped the sweat of his face. Rose sniffed, her face screwed up in disgust. "Danny, is that you?"

"I'm not exactly happy." He defended himself much like the captain had done.

"I'm just moving the air... I've got to oxygenate the next section. Now, keep calm... or it's gonna feel worse."

There was a banging at the other end of the tunnel and Jefferson aimed his gun, earning a growl from Violet.

"What was that?"

"Mr Jefferson, what was that?"

"What's that noise?"

"Captain... what was that?"

"The junction in Habitation Five's been opened - it must be the Ood." The captain answered their question.

"They're in the tunnels!"

"Well, open the gate!"

"I've gotta get the air in!" Zach said, irritated.

"Just open it! ... sir." Danny started panicking.

"Where are they? Are they close?"

"Don't know, I can't tell - I can't see them... the computer doesn't register Ood as proper life forms." Zach explained.

"Whose idea was that?" Rose frowned.

"OPEN the gate!" Danny practically roared into his wrist device, shaking. The gate opened and they lunged through it.

"Danny, turn left. Immediate left." The man in the control room ordered while they crawled down the tunnels, Jefferson reversing with his gun pointed.

"The Ood, sir - can't you trap them? Cut off the air?" He asked.

"Not without cutting off yours. Danny, turn right. Go right! Go fast, Dan - they're gonna catch up!"

"I'll maintain defence of position!" Jefferson offered.

"You can't stop!" Rose said.

"Miss Tyler - that's my job. You've got your task - now see to it." He ordered.

Toby told her to continue moving and she did so reluctantly. They could hear gun shots and Violet lowered her head at the sound. They reached the next junction.

"8.2. Open 8.2. Zach!" Dannt urged him.

"I've gotta aerate it!"

"OPEN IT NOW!" He shouted furiously.

"I'm TRYING."

Danny desperately thumped on the gate, but Violet stopped him, "Quit it, Danny. Not helping."

"Zach, get it open!" Toby said, too.

"Jefferson... I've gotta open 8.2 by closing 8.1. You've GOT to get past the junction, now MOVE. That's an order, now MOVE!" Zach shouted, frusterated. "I'm gonna lose oxygen, Jefferson, I can't stop for your dramatics!"

The gate opened, and they crawl through, Rose glancing backwards.

"Danny, turn left and head for 9.2. That's the last one. Jefferson-" Zach paused. "You've gotta move faster. Move!"

"Mr Jefferson, come on!" Rose shouted.

"Keep GOING!" Toby told her in the same tone. The gate closed, leaving Jefferson trapped on the other side.

"Regret to inform, sir... I was a bit slow. Not so fast, these days." He joked sadly.

"I can't open 8.1, John. Not without losing air for the others." Zach said remorsefully.

"And quite right too, sir. I think I bought them a little time."

"There's nothing I can do, John. I'm sorry." The rest of them reached the end.

"So that's how you're going to die then, Jefferson?" Violet asked. He chuckled.

"I guess so." Was his reply.

"Tell me one last thing, John. What happened with your wife?" Violet asked, quietly.

"She was shot. Some of my business partners started a fight in our house and she was shot. I always did do bad business. She died in my arms, her empty eyes staring up at me. Her last word was 'you'." His voice cracked.

"I'm sorry." She said respectfully, " Tell you what, though. She forgives you."

"How would you know?" He asked roughly.

She smiled, " Because 'I love you' ends with a 'you'.. It was a pleasure working with you, Jefferson."

"Same to you too." There was a pause. "I ask, if you can't add oxygen to this section... can you speed up the process of its removal, sir?"

"I don't understand. What do you mean?" Zach was confused.

"The Ood, Zach." Violet said.

"God speed, Mr Jefferson." The captain said.

"Thank you, sir."

"Report... Officer John Maynard Jefferson PKD... deceased... with honours." Zach's voice cracked.

"Zach... we're at the final junction. 9.2. And er... if my respects could be on record. He saved our lives." Danny added quietly.

"Noted. Opening 9.2." The gate opened, revealing Ood waiting for them. They all scrambled away, shoked.

"Lower 9.2. Zach, lower it!" Rose screeched.

"Back! Back! Back!" Danny shouted.

"We can't go back! The gang point's sealed off, we're stuck!" Toby reminded them.

"Then we go up!" Violet told them, pushing up a grill over her head. She emerged through the floor of the corridor above with Danny and Rose following, Toby trailing behind slightly. Rose and Danny frantically tried to help him, but Violet watched them- she reckoned the Ood wouldn't hurt him.

"Come on! Toby, come on!" Rose shouted. "Toby, get out of there!"

"Help me! Oh, my God - help me!" He scrambled upwards.

Rose and Danny hoisted him up through the hole as more Ood approached from the other end of the corridor.

"It's this way." Danny told them, headin in that direction. They followed him, the Ood chasing them.

"Hurry up!" The captain shouted as a banging was to be heard over the comms.

Danny, Rose, Violet and Toby burst through the doors into Ood Habitation, and rushed over the computer. The Ood already inside looked up at their arrival and Violet fished the computer chip out of her pocket and slammed it into the machine. She pressed a few buttons and the reading went down to Basic 0. The Ood clutched at their heads and stumbled about, finally collapsing and only leaving the sound of heavy breathing in the air.

"You did it! We did it!" Rose squealed.

"Yes!" Toby laughed.

"Zach, we did it. The Ood are down. Now we've gotta get the Doctor." Rose told them and rushed off, hearing the Captain telling them he was on his way.

On the exploration deck, Rose immediately picked up the comm device, "Doctor? Are you there? Doctor? Ida? Can you hear me?"

"The comms are still down. I can patch them through the central desk and boost the signal. Just give me a minute." Zach said, starting to work at a computer, Violet helping him while Rose looked on, wide-eyed and worried.

"He's gone. He went down the pit." Ida announced once they went online again. Violet gently tugged the comm device away from Rose, who looked close to tears.

"I'm sorry." She sympathised for the girl- centuries away from her home- that lost the man she loved.

"Ida? There's no way of reaching you." Zach said. "No cable, no back-up... you're ten miles down… We can't get there."

"You should see this place, Zach. It's beautiful. Well, I wanted to discover things... And here I am."

"We've got to abandon the base." He told her remorsefully. "I'm declaring this mission unsafe. All we can do is make sure no one ever comes here again." He was about to say something else, but Violet took the device from his hand.

"Thank you, Ida. I know it may seem hopeless, but… just hold on. You never know." She smiled and hoped that the Doctor would make it. If he was in that pit, figuring it out, there was still hope.

"Yeah. Thank you, too. You saved their lives. Good luck." She replied.

"Thank you." Were the Captain's last words to her, before he turned, "Danny - Toby - close down the feed links. Get the retrotopes online. Then get to the rocket - strap yourselves in. We're leaving."

"I'm not going." Rose said stubbornly.

"Rose, there's space for you."

"No, I'm gonna wait for the Doctor. Just like he waited for me." She protested.

"I'm sorry, but... he's dead."

"You don't know him. 'Cos he's not..." Her voice broke. "I'm telling you, he's- he's not... and even if he was, how could I leave him? All on his own, all the way down there? No. I'm gonna stay."

"Rose, you're going." Violet told her quietly. Rose turned to her in disbelief.

"What?"

"I know you're scared without the Doctor, and I know that you don't want to believe he's dead, because- he's the Doctor! How could he die? And maybe he's still alive, maybe he's down there and figuring it out and gonna come back! But you're no good here." Violet sighed. "I need you to get in that rocket and get out of the reach of the black hole before it's too late, because you're no good if you're dead."

She considered it for a second before shaking her head, "I can't leave him, I'm sorry."

"Then I'm sorry for this." The girl beckoned Danny and Toby, who waited behind Rose, and they held her arms while she struggled. Violet grabbed a needle and plunged it into the side of her arm, sedating her efficiently.

"I don't want to spend the rest of my existence seeing the Doctor's heartbroken face every time he realises you're dead." She told the unconscious girl, limp in her arms.

Zach hoisted her up over his shoulder, "Let's get her on board."

They sat in the rocket, Zach and Danny in the front of the dimmed interior, Rose still out of it on one side next to Toby, and on the other side, Violet.

"Dislocating B-Clamp, C-Clamp, raising blue nitrates to maximum- Toby, how's the negapact feed line?" The captain asked.

"Clear! Ready to go, sir. For God's sakes, get us out of here!" Toby flicked a few switched to check the readings.

"Captain... I think we're gonna have a problem passenger..." Danny noticed Rose stirring.

"Keep an eye on her." He replied, fumbling with the controls.

"Wait... I'm not..." Rose woke up.

"It's all right, Rose - you're safe-" Danny tried to calm her.

"I'm not going anywhere!" She tugged at her seatbelt, shouting, "Get me out of this thing! Get me out!"

"And... lift-off!"

Rose picked up a bolt gun lying before her. She reached out for it and aimed for the Captain, "Take me back to the planet."

"Take me BACK!" She shouted after getting no reply.

Violet, instead of responding, took the gun out of her hand and moved it out of her reach in one, swift movement.

"You couldn't." She said in a bored tone, but was anxious herself. She hoped that the Doctor had worked it out- she didn't want to be alone again.

"Sorry, but it's too late anyway. Take a look outside. We can't turn back. This is what the Doctor would have wanted." Zach told her. She did, seeing them retreating from the black hole.

Out of the blue, Toby started to laugh quietly to himself.

"What's the joke?" His colleague asked.

"Just... we made it. We escaped. We actually did it." He laughed louder. Except that it wasn't, Violet knew.

"Not all of us." Rose said, melancholy.

"We're not out of it yet. We're still the first people in history to fly AWAY from a black hole. Toby, read me the stats." The captain ordered.

"Gravity funnel holding, sir. Always holding." He smirked. "Stats at 53, funnel status at 66.5. Hull pressure constant. Smooth as we can, sir. All the way back home."

"Coordinates set for Planet Earth." He grinned even wider.

"It doesn't make sense. We escaped, but there's a thousand ways it could've killed us. It could've... ripped out the air or... I dunno, burnt us, or anything. But it let us go. Why? Unless it wanted us to escape..."

"Hey, Rose, do us a favour..." Toby told Rose, who was on exactly the right track, nastily. "Shut up."

"Almost there. We'll be beyond the reach of the black hole in 40... 39..." He counted down as the rocket started shaking violently.

"What happened? What was that?!" Danny panicked.

"What's he doing? What is he doing?"

"We've lost the funnel! Gravity collapse!"

"What does that mean?"

"We can't escape. We're headed straight for the black hole!" Zach shouted. The rocket turned around, spiralling at a dangerous speed towards the black hole.

"He's done it!" Violet said, grinning. "I'm sorry, Satan, but your flight's been terminated." She looked at Toby, who glared with his red eyes, symbols coating his skin. Rose gasped.

"I am the rage and the bile and the ferocity.

I am the Prince and the Fall and the Darkness-" He expelled a flame from his mouth.

"I shall never die! The thought of me is forever! In the bleeding hearts of men - in their vanity and obsession and lust-"

Violet grabbed the bolt gun and aimed it at the front window, just as the Beast said,

"Nothing shall ever destroy me. Nothing!"

She fired, shattering the glass, while Rose undid Toby's seatbelt, resulting in him getting sucked through the window and into outer space, headed straight for the black hole, roaring all the way down.

"Look at that. I just destroyed the devil."

"Emergency shield!" Zach pressed a button and the emergency shield activated, covering the hole. It didn't stop the shaking, or their course towards the black hole.

"I'm sorry. Toby's been gone for a long time. But, look at that." She pointed out of the window, which showed their moving away from the black hole. "I told you, Rose, didn't I?" She smiled.

"Sorry about the hijack, Captain. This is the good ship TARDIS." The comm sprang to life. "Now, first thing's first - have you got a Rose Tyler on board?"

"I'm here! It's me! Oh, my God!" She laughed, overjoyed and giddy. "Where are you?"

"I'm just towing you home. Gravity-schmavity. My people practically invented black holes." The Doctor joked.

"We actually did." Violet confirmed, smiling as well.

"In a couple of minutes, we'll be nice and safe. Oh, and captain - can we do a swap? Say, if you give me Rose and Violet - I'll give you Ida Scott? How about that?"

"She's alive!"

"Yeah! Bit of oxygen starvation, but she should be all right." He said. "I couldn't save the Ood. I only had time for one trip. They went down with the planet."

"Ah! Entering clear space - end of the line - mission closed." He finished after a beep.

"Have a good flight home, Zach. It's been a pleasure." Violet told them, shutting down the network between the TARDIS and the rocket and sighed happily, spinning around to Rose and the Doctor who sat on the plush bench in the control room. They had already done the initial catching up while shd had flown them into the Vortex.

"So, here we are. Happy end and all." Violet smiled.

"Uhm, Doctor, do you mind leaving Violet and I to talk for a bit?" Rose said hesitantly. He nodded and walked off.

"I'm sorry for how I've acted. I wasn't exactly civil towards you." She started.

Violet waved it off, "It's fine, forget it."

"But it isn't. I guess I just felt threatened by you, you know? Because you're Time Lord and all?" She continued and patted the space next to her.

"Why would you feel threatened by me? Can't you see the way he looks at you?" She asked, sitting down.

"I don't know. You're just… you're pretty, smart, you're Time Lord. I was scared he was going to choose you over me, you know?" She looked genuinely ashamed of her actions.

"You really love him, don't you?" Violet stated with the hint of a smile on her face.

"Is it that obvious?" She laughed. "Yeah… Yes, I do. And I want to tell him, I really do, but then come these moments when I realise that it could never work. When he tells me of the people that he lost, I imagine how hard it must be for him."

"You're only going to live once, Rose." The girl told her seriously. "With that one life, you want to do as much as you possibly can- and this is close, but it's not all. There's love and romance and all that stuff. The Doctor has lost many people, yes, but he loves you. He really does. And even if he has to watch you get old and eventually die, I know he would take it. Because a few years with you are better than none at all. He just has to realise it."

"You think?" She asked.

Violet laughed, "I know. Go on, Rose. You never know how long you have."

"Well, thank you. Not just for this, but for getting me into that rocket and for all the times you've saved our lives. I was horrible to you but you still wanted tosave me. Why?"

"I couldn't bear to see his face if he realised you were gone and he hadn't had the chance to love you." With that, Violet got up and walked away, leaving Rose to contemplate. She smiled as she walked to her room.

She was going to make sure they got together.


	5. Fear Her

"I shouldn't even let you fly her!" Violet laughed as the Doctor tried to exit the TARDIS but found himself trapped by a bright blue container. They dematerialised and appeared in facing the right way.

"Ah!" He grinned, stepping out. Violet and Rose followed, the latter noticing a Shayne Ward poster while looking around.

"So, near future, yeah?" She asked.

"I had a passing fancy. Only it didn't pass, it stopped." He replied, heading off down the street.

"30th Olympia." Violet announced, pointing at a huge banner at the mouth of the road.

"No way! Why didn't I think of this, that's great! Ah!" Rose linked her arm through the Doctor's, excited, making him beam.

"Only seems like yesterday a few naked Greek blokes were tossing a discus about... wrestling each other in the sand with crowds stood about, begging... no, wait a minute... that was Club Med." The Doctor started rambling, but Rose saw a man stick a missing poster onto a lamp post, right above another, and went over to investigate.

"Just in time for the opening doo dah - ceremony... tonight, I thought you'd like that. Last one they had in London was dynamite. Wembley, 1948. I loved it so much, I went back and watched it all over again. Fella carrying the torch... lovely chap, what was his name? Mark...? John..? Mark...? Legs like pipe cleaners, but strong as a whippet."

"Doctor-" Rose called him over, but he kept on going.

"And in those days, everybody had a tea party to go to."

"Doctor?" She tried again.

"Did you ever have one of those little cakes with the crunchy ball bearings on top-"

"Oh, come on, you." Violet pulled him over to Rose, grinning at her. "He can't help it, it's in his DNA to talk this much. Only some people have this thing called self-control."

"I have self-control!" He defended.

"Then stop talking about edible ball bearings and look at this." She pointed to the posters.

He sobered up, "What's taking them, do you think? Snatching children from a thoroughly ordinary street like this."

"Is it just me, or is it unnaturally chilly here? Something must be reducing the temperature..." Violet thought out loud.

Rose said, "It says they all went missing this week. Why would a person do something like this?"

"What makes you think it's a person?" The Docotr countered. A door opened, revealing a woman that dumped a bin bag on the street and scurried back inside, looking around superstitiously.

"Whatever it is, it's got the whole street scared to death. Doctor, what-?" She turned around but found the Doctor and Violet already at the other end of the road.

They crouched down by a mini football goal, both having felt the strange residue over a patch of grass. The Doctor held out his hand, giggling like a school girl murmuring, 'Tickles!' as he did. He motioned for Violet to try as well, and she laughed at the weird sensation of whatever was there.

Out of nowhere, a man appeared, hands in his pockets.

"What's your game?" He asked, not looking pleased at finding two strangers on his lawn after his son had gone missing.

"Uhm...Snakes and Ladders?" They faced him. "Quite good at... Squash." The Doctor paused. "Reasonable."

"You're being facetious." Violet tried to stifle her laugh.

"What are you doing in my front garden?" The man shouted. "Did you take my Tommy?"

They backed away from him.

"I'm- I'm a police officer! I've got a badge - and- and a police car... you don't have to get- I can- I can prove it! Just hold on-" The Doctor fished in his long, brown coat, searching for his psychic paper.

"We've had plenty of coppers poking around here, and you don't look - or sound - like any of them." He said roughly.

"See, look! I've got a colleague! Stewart." He pointed at Violet, who was desperately trying to hold back laughter at the Doctor's fright.

"Well, what about her?" He pointed at Rose, who had met up with them on the middle of the road.

"Training. New recruit. It was either that or hairdressing, so..." He finally found his psychic paper and shoved it into the man's face. "Voila!"

"What are you going to do?" A dark-skinned woman asked, having come out of her house.

"The police have knocked on every door - no clues, no leads, nothing." The elderly lady Rose had been talking to, said.

"Look, kids run off sometimes, all right? That's what they do-" Tom's dad said.

"I saw it with me own eyes. Dale Hixon, in your garden, playing with your Tommy, and then...!" She mimicked something disappearing. "Right in front of me, like he was never there! There's no need to look any further than this street. It's right here amongst us."

"Why don't we-" The Doctor, or Officer Smith, as his psychic paper read, tried.

"Why don't we start with him?" Another lady pointed at a black council worker. "There's been all sorts like him in this street, day and night."

"Fixing things up for the Olympics!" He defended himself indignantly.

"Yeah, and taking an awful long time about it."

"I'm of the opinion that all we've gotta do is just-" Violet tried, too.

"You don't- what you just said, that's slander!" Kel, the council worker, accused.

"I don't care what it is!"

"I think we need to just-" No response.

"I want an apology off her!"

"Stop picking on him."

"Yeah, stop picking on me!"

"And stop pretending to be blind! It's evil!"

"I don't believe in evil."

"Oh no, you just believe in tarmackers with sack loads of kidnapped kiddies in their van-"

"Ay, ay, ay, that's not what she's saying."

"Would you stop ganging up on me?!"

"Feeling guilty, are we?"

"Fingers on lips!" Violet shouted over the mindless bickering. She put a finger on her lip and dared them not to obey with her eyes, the Doctor following suit. After a moment of complete bewilderment, Kel, Tom's dad and the others did so, too. A look at Rose and she also put a finger on her lips.

"In the last six days, three of your children have been stolen. Snatched out of thin air, right?" Violet asked calmly.

"Er... can I...?" The elerly lady, Maeve, gestured at her finger, and she nodded. "Look around you... this was a safe street 'til it came. It's not a person. I'll say it if no one else will. "Maybe you're coppers - maybe you're not. I don't care who you are. Can you please help us?"

Rose and Violet spotted Chloe watching them through the second story window of one of the homes. Trish noticed them staring at her and hurried back inside, making Violet frown.

The Doctor was in a front garden, sniffing the grass like a dog. Rose watched for a moment before joking,

"Want a hanky?"

"Can you smell it?" He ignored her jibe. "What does it remind you of?"

"Sort of... metal?" She guessed.

He nodded, "Mm-hm!"

"Oooh!" She grinned, happy she got it right. Violet smiled at the two of them.

The Doctor and Rose walked down a narrow alleyway while Violet waited at the entrance of it.

"Danny Edwards cycled in one end but never came out the other." He felt something, "Whoa, there it goes again!" He help up his hand, "Look at the hairs on the back of my manly hairy hand." Violet, listening to them intently, giggled quietly.

"And there's that smell... it's like a um... a burnt fuse plug or something." Rose detected.

"There's a residual energy in the spots where the kids vanished. Whatever it was, it used an awful lot of power to do this."

Out of the alley again, Rose was walking a few paces behind the Doctor

"Aren't you a beautiful boy?" She cooed.

"Thanks! I'm experimenting with back-combing." The Doctor beamed, before he noticed that Rose was talking to a ginger, fluffy cat. "Oh." He sad, dissapointed, making Violet smile.

"I used to have one like you." Rose told the cat. The Doctor was watching uncomfortably, with a look of slight disgust on his face.

"What?" Rose noticed.

"No, I'm not really a cat person. Once you've been threatened by one in a nun's wimple, it kind of takes the joy out of it." He told her.

Violet nudged him, "Are you sure that's the only thing?" She laughed as he looked at her, a slight blush in his cheeks. "She's good, she keeps your ego down."

The cat wandered over to a cardboard box and climbed inside.

"What do you wanna go in there for?" Rose asked it. There was a wooshing sound and when Rose peered into the box, it was empty.

"Doctor!" She called. He went over but backed off once he smelt what must have come from the box. "Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" He waved the smell away and picked up the box.

"Iron residue. Blimey! That takes some doing! Just to snatch a living organism out of space/time. This baby is just like," He put on a Texan accent, "'I'm 'avin' some of that' - I'm impressed."

"So the cat's been transported?" Rose questioned.

"It can harness huge reserves of ionic power. We need to find the source of that power."

"Yeah. You do that, I'm just gonna be... somewhere else. Just try to do some actual searching- not too much of the other stuff." Violet excused herself, smiling.

"What other stuff?" The Doctor exclaimed.

She grinned even wider, "Oh, I don't know... Whatever it is you two do when you're alone." She went to walk off, but turned back. "Just... not on the open road, please. There could be children watching." She winked and left the two blushing.

Even though she only left the two so they could spend some time alone together- they were always bumping into each other despite the unlimited size of the TARDIS- she had a clue of where to go, and her feet took her to Trish's, the dark-skinned woman's, house from earlier.

She considered knocking on the door, but decided against it and let herself in with her sonic device silently. After checking to see that Trish was taking a nap, she crept upstairs and slowly opened the door to the girl's room.

There were pictures- a child's drawings- on the walls, all on different coloured pieces of paper. She saw one that matched Tom's description and the ginger cat. Definetely at the right place, she thought.

"I've given you friends and you still moan. Moan, moan, moan. You're lucky. You're all together." The girl seemingly talked to herself, but she looked at the drawings on her walls. "You don't know what it is to be alone. If you did, you'd be thanking me." She started drawing something but made a mistake, causing her to scribble over it in annoyance. "No!" She exclaimed, angry.

Violet cleared her throat.

"I'm busy, mum." The girl sat at her desk, pencil in hand.

"I'm not mum, love." Violet moved closer to the girl with braided hair. She turned around, but instead of screaming like a normal little girl would have, she said,

"Lonely. So lonely. Can you help me please?"

Violet smiled softly, "Yeah, I can. Just you watch." She pressed her hands to her temples, making the girl fall unconcious.

"Who are you?" She demanded.

The voice that spoke next wasn't Chloe's, "I want Chloe Webber."

"What are you?" She rephrased.

"I want Chloe Webber." The voice repeated.

"If you let me help you, you won't need Chloe anymore. Just tell me who you are."

"I am one of many. I travel with my brothers and sisters. We take an endless journey. A thousand of your lifetimes. But now I am alone. It's not fair and I hate it!" It cried.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am, but I need you to tell me who you are."

"Isolus." It said simply.

Then Violet got it. The Isolus were empathic beings of intense emotion, and when they're cast off from their mother, they depend on eachother. They literally couldn't be alone. They travelled for a long time, billions of years, inside of a pod, riding on the heat and energy of solar tides. They used their ionic power to create make-believe worlds in which they played, which explained Chloe's drawings. And why she was stealing the children. Problem was, the Isolus were families of billions. Just a few kids wouldn't be enough.

"Where is your pod?" She felt an intense sympathy for the Isolus. She knew what it was like to be alone.

"It was drawn to heat." Chloe's hand picked up a pen and began drawing.

"You were scattered by a solar flare." Violet saw the image.

"Only I fell to Earth. My brothers and sisters are left up there, and I cannot reach them. So alone. I was drawn to Chloe Webber. She like me. Alone. She needed me. And I her."

They were interrupted by her wardrobe doors rattling and Chloe shaking. Violet opened it slowly, wind blowing through clothes, red light flooding the room. A huge picture of a bearded man with menacing eyes was drawn on the back wall- the red light was coming from it's glowing red eyes.

Chloe's mother suddenly came bounding through the door, screaming.

"What have you done? Who are you?!"

"Okay, now's not the time! She's having nightmares! What do you do when she has nightmares?" Violet yelled over the noise of the whirling paper, the wind and the shouts of the man in the wardrobe.

"Uhm... I sing!" She said.

"Do it, then!" Trish rushed to her daughter and started singing a nursery rhyme. The shouting slowly died down, leaving a mess in it's place. Violet sighed. She needed to to find that pod- the Isolus wouldn't stop. Four billion siblings. That was two thirds of the human race, but who didn't like extras?

"Take care of her. Whatever you do, don't let her draw. I'm serious, Trish. Your daughter could end the world right now. Do you hear me?" She pressed. The woman nodded.

As she walked downstairs to find the Doctor, she heard a TV presenter talk about the Olympics. The flame would pass the road soon. She walked faster, looking for her companions. She ran outside and went down the street. She guessed that they might have gone back to the TARDIS for some private time, so she looked there, only to see it gone. They wouldn't have left me, she thought. After thinking for a moment, she sprinted back to Trish's house, barging in and shouting on her way upstairs.

"Trish! I told you to keep her away from the pencils!"

The woman in question emerged from the room next to Chloe's. She wasn't even with her. "I did, honestly. All of them."

"Obviously not." She growled and strode into Chloe's room. She saw her sitting in front of a picture of the TARDIS, Rose and the Doctor and sighed. This is not what she had meant by free time. "Let them go!" She pleaded.

The Isolus spoke through Chloe, "The share so much love."

"Yes, yes they do. And I sent them off to go spend some time with each other, and you trapped them in a picture!" She kneeled so she was at Chloe's eyes. "They love each other. I know you're lonely, but what about them? What about me? They're the only people in the entire universe I have." She choked up, "I have no one."

"But I want my brothers and sisters!" She begged.

"That's not them. But I will get you back to them. I promise." She turned to her scared mother. "Watch her. I mean it, this time. If you don't, I can only imagine the consequence. She could suck the universe right out of existence, she could create a big, gaping paradox." She trailed off and ran outside, again hearing the TV presenter, but this time, it was different. The entire stadium was empty. She was so caught up with the Doctor and Rose that she hadn't seen the picture next to that. The Olympic Stadium- and it wasn't done yet.

Outside, she looked around. It was drawn to heat. Heat. Heat, heat, heat, heat, heat. She stopped the council worker, who was passing her.

"Look at this finish. Smooth as a baby's bottom." He said.

"Has there been anything that gave off a lot of heat here recently?"

"Not a bump or a lump." He continued as if she hadn't spoken at all. "I mean, you can eat your dinner off this. Beautiful. So you tell me why the other one's got a lump in it when I gave it the same love and craftsmanship I did this one!"

"Okay, that's great! I'll keep you in my phone book for when I need someone to tarmack my road, but seriously. Think back six days." Violet said, exasperated.

"Six days..." He thought back. "When I was laying this the first time round!" He motioned at the road.

"Tar..." She breathed. "You mentioned there was a lump in the other one."

"Yeah, I really don't understand it. Did it just the same as I did this one, it's beautiful, don't you think?" He went on again, but Violet headed for the council van, grabbing a pickaxe from it.

"Oi! What do you think you're doing with that?" He shouted, enraged. "Whoa, wait, wait, wait, you just removed a council axe from a council van. Put it back. No don't, wait - put the axe back in the van, that's my van, gimme the axe."

She ignored him and crashed the axe into road, smashing through the freshly-laid tarmac.

"No! You- stop!" She hacked at the road as Kel yelled at her in bewilderment. "That's a council road!"

She dropped the axe as she saw a white, round object poking out. She picked it up and laughed, blowing dirt off of it.

"Not a council spaceship. Sorry. It was a beautiful road, though." She didn't wait for a reply, just headed for Chloe's house. For the second time that day, she burst into the home and saw Trish sitting in her living room.

"Oh, for the universe's sake! I told you not to leave her, how is that so difficult?" She shouted.

"I don't care if you've got Snow White and the Seven Dwarves buried under there, you don't go digging up-" Kel walked in on them, mad about her ruining the road.

"Look at that!" She pointed at the TV, still showing the empty Olympic Stadium. "Unless you want the world look like that, shut it!"

"The crowd has vanished! Er- um... they're gone. Everyone has gone. Thousands of people have just gone. Er... um... right in front of my eyes. Um... it's impossible! Bob, can we join you, um, in the box?" The commentator said while Violet bounded up the stairs again, hearing a familiar growling.

"Chloe!" She pushed at the barred door before taking the pickaxe out of Kel's hand and smashing open the door. "Oh, no you don't! You're going home!" Violet ripped the pencils away from Chloe, who was shaking in fear of her nightmare dad while the Isolus continued drawing.

"I'm coming to hurt you..." His voice sounded.

"Stay with her, and I swear I will rip you head off if you don't, this time!" She growled at Trish, who looked more than a little scared of the fiery young woman.

She ran out onto the road which was filled with people waiting for the torch to pass, just as she heard the commentator on TV.

"...The torch now represents love and hope and joy..." Exactly what the Isolus needed.

Violet grinned and pushed through the crowd, only to be stopped by a policeman.

Sorry, you'll have to watch from here." He held her back.

"Oh, yes I will." She gave him a smile and whispered to the pod, "Here you go. Love and hope and joy." And with that, she threw the pod into the flame, making the runner stagger but continue on nonetheless. "Yes!" She shouted at no one in particular.

The Isolus would leave when the pod reached the stadium and she guessed that the damage done would be reversed.

Violet smiled as she saw all the lost children return and hug their parents. All the happiness and love.

"But... all of the drawings came to life." She said to herself, seeing a butterfly that belonged into a rain forest. She ran to Trish's house, but the door was stuck. She could see mother and daughter through the letter box, sitting at the bottom of the stairs.

"Come on, Chloe! It's just a nightmare!" She tried to soothe her but was washed out by the growling. "Sing!" She yelled. The sound of heavy footsteps startled them, but they started singing as Violet requested. Her nightmare dad was just left-over energy, she could get rid of him if she tried.

"Laugh, Kookaburra, laugh.

Kookaburra, gay your life must be."

The footsteps, the growling and the red tint started to fade until they were gone completely, leaving Trish and Chloe Webber cowering at the bottom of the stairs, singing as if their life depended on it.

After Violet had giving Trish a crash-course on how to raise her child, since she obviously wasn't capable, the Doctor and Rose joined up with her. He was just telling them that he had been the one to light the flame at the Olympics.

"You're mad!" Violet laughed as the Doctor bit into his ball-bearing cupcake.

"Oh, the best of the best, I am!" He grinned. "Mm. I can't stress this enough. Ball bearings you can eat - masterpiece!"

"You nutter!" Rose grinned, but hugged him tightly. Once she let go, the Doctor adressed Violet.

"So, you saved the world once again! That's what? Twice in a week? Could become a habit."

"Oh, well, you know, I couldn't just let the Isolus pull Earth out of existence and create a paradox. Where would have you gotten your ball-bearing cupcakes?" She said mock-seriously.

"Very good point." He approved.

"So, what now?" Rose asked.

"Well, let's do what we came here for! Let's watch the games!"

"You gonna tell me what we do well in?" Rose asked. While the Doctor shoved the rest of his cupcake into his mouth, Violet answered for him.

"I will say this. Papua New Guinea suprises everyone in the shot put."

"... Really? You're joking, aren't you?" She giggled. "Doctor, is she serious?"

"Wait and see!" He laughed, swallowing his cupcake. Fireworks exploded over their heads and they both held hands with Violet walking alongside them, smiling.

"You know what; they keep to bring us down, but they never ever will." Rose sighed contently.

The Doctor came to a halt, "Never say never ever." He said seriously.

"Nah. We'll always be okay, you and me." Her words were confident, but she got no reply. "Don't you reckon, Doctor?"

Violet looked up at the sky, "Can you feel that?" She frowned. "Something's coming. I don't think it'll be good." Her companions looked up, too.

"A storm's approaching." The Doctor agreed.

Violet and the Doctor sat in the control room of the TARDIS while Rose slept.

"I feel really weird. Something bad is going to happen." Violet mused.

"I'm going to take Rose to see her mother tomorrow. You know, just in case."

"You really love her, don't you?" She said, no bad intention in her words at all. The Doctor blushed a little.

"Yeah." The Time Lord said sheepishly.

"Tell her, then." She urged him, playing with the thin, silver chain on her wrist, which she always wore. It looked familiar to the Doctor, but he wrote it off to the fact that there must be thousands of bracelets like that all over.

"But what if- when- I lose her?"

"You can lose anything, Theta. Everything good must come to an end, it just depends on how you spent the good times." Violet told him wisely. When he looked up, he could see so much pain and grief in her dark brown eyes that he dropped his gaze instantly. She felt even more pain that he did, and he had killed his own people.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" He whispered, afraid to speak any louder, scared that she might fall apart. That's how much pain he saw in her eyes.

"It's in the past, and the past is something I think we're both not proud of." She said, brokenly, before composing herself. "Promise me you'll tell her if we survive whatever is thrown at us next?"

"Oh, okay." He laughed at her as she pointed her elbow at him. It was a childish thing, like a pinky promise for humans. He touched her elbow with his, not being able to shake the feeling that something inevitabely bad was heading for them.

"I promise."


	6. Army of Ghosts

The TARDIS materialised on a playground and Rose ran out, carrying a huge red backpack. Violet and the Doctor followed and they set off for the flats on the Powell Estate, also known as Rose's home.

"Mum, it's us! We're ba-ack!" Rose sang as she walked into her flat. Her mother- blonde, chavvy and in her 40s- came to greet them.

"Oh, I don't know why you bother with that phone! You never use it!" She scolded, but anyone could have told that she was happy to see her daughter.

The younger blonde grinned, "Shut up, come here!" They hugged tightly while Violet and the Doctor tried to slip past unnoticed, but Jackie saw them.

"Who's she?" She looked at Violet after having given the Doctor a kiss on the lips, despite his protests.

"Oh, mum, this is Violet. She's travelling with us! Violet, this is my mum, Jackie Tyler." Rose introduced them and they awkwardly shook hands, the older with a slightly cold look on her face.

"Are you keeping my Rose and the Doctor apart, then?" She asked jokingly, but Violet saw the honesty shine through.

"On the contrary." She smiled and joined Rose in the living room.

"I've got LOADS of washing for ya!" She dropped the backpack into her mother's arms. "And - I got you this!" Rose showed her a tiny ornate bottle with a grin. "It's from the market on this asteroid bazaar. It's made of um..."

"Bezoolium." Violet helped her while the Doctor flipped through random magazines.

"Bezoolium. When it gets cold, yeah, it means it's gonna rain - when it's hot, it's gonna be sunny! You can use it to tell the weather!" Rose told her, excited.

"I've got a surprise for you and all." Jackie didn't give the gift any recognition.

"Oh, I get her Bezoolium - she doesn't even say 'thanks'." Rose said, but wasn't really mad.

Guess who's coming to visit? You're just in time," Jackie checked her watch. "He'll be here at ten past! Who do you think it is?"

"I don't know." Rose deadpanned.

"Oh go on, guess!" Her mother urged her.

"No, I hate guessing. Just tell me."

"It's your grandad. Grandad Prentice. He's on his way. Any minute!" She was very excited at the fact, but Rose just stared at her. "Right, cup of tea!"

"Why aren't you happy? Don't you like him?" Violet asked quietly, standing next to the girl.

"Grandad Prentice - that's her dad. But he died like, ten years ago. Oh my God. She's lost it." They went into the kitchen with the Doctor, and Rose addressed her.

"Mum?" The three of them stood in the doorway. "What you just said about grandad..."

"Any second now." She smiled.

"But... he passed away. His heart gave out. Do you remember that?" Her daughter asked gently.

"Course I do!"

"...Then how can he come back?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Jackie checked her watch again. "Ten past. Here he comes." Out of nowhere, a figure- like a shadow, blurred out but humanoid- appeared and stood next to Jackie. She went to say something but Violet was already running outside, her companions following after a moment.

"They're everywhere!" She breathed. And they were. Like ordinary people, they stood everywhere, but nobody was alarmed by their presence.

"Doctor, look out!" Rose shouted as a ghost walked right through him.

Jackie joined them, "They haven't got long. Midday shift only lasts a couple of minutes. They're about to fade."

"What do you mean, SHIFT? Since when did ghosts have shifts? Since when did shifts have ghosts? What's going on?" The Doctor was genuinely confused, as was Violet.

"Oh, he's not happy when I know more than him, is he?" Jackie joked.

"But no one's running or screaming or freaking out or…" Violet continued to look around, baffled.

"Why should we? She looked at her wrist-watch once again. "Here we go. Twelve minutes past."

Just as quickly as they came, the ghosts disappeared. Both Time Lords were completely confused.

Rose, The Doctor, Violet and Jackie sat in the living room, in front of Jackie's TV.

"On today's Ghostwatch, claims that some of the ghosts are starting to talk, and there seems to be a regular formation gathering around Westminster Bridge."

After pointing his sonic screwdriver at it, the Doctor changed the channel.

"And tonight we're expecting very strong ghosts. From London, through the North and up into Scotland. "

Different channel.

"So basically, Eileen, what you're telling me is, that you are in love with a ghost."

"He's MY ghost and I love him, 24/7!"

"Well, no one needs me anymore!"

"My ghost was pale and grey until I discovered... Ectoshine!"

"Et le President d'aujourd'hui, quelle est-"

"Listen to me, Denn Watts. I don't care if you HAVE come back from the grave. Get out of my pub! The only spirits I'm serving in this place are gin, whisky and vodka. So, you heard me - GET OUT!"

Violet shook her head. "They're everywhere. All over the world…"

"When did it start?" The Doctor asked.

"Well first of all, Peggy heard this noise in the cellar, so she goes down-" Jackie started.

"No, I mean worldwide."

"Oh! That was about two months ago. Just happened. Woke up one morning, and there they all were - ghosts, everywhere. We all ran round screaming and that, whole planet was panicking... no sign of YOU, thank you very much... then it sort of sank in. Took us time to realise that... we're lucky."

"What makes you think it's granddad?" Rose asked suddenly.

"Just feels like him. There's that smell, those old cigarettes. Can't you smell it?" Jackie looked at her.

"I wish I could, mum, but I can't."

"You've got to make an effort. You've got to WANT it, sweetheart." The woman told her daughter.

"The more you want it, the stronger it gets?" The Doctor summed up.

"Sort of, yeah."

Violet nodded, getting where he was going, "Like a psychic link. Course you want your old dad to be alive, but you're wishing him into existence. The ghosts are using that to pull themselves in."

"You're spoiling it." Jackie glared at her.

"I'm sorry, Jackie, but there's no smell, there's no cigarettes. Just a memory." The Doctor defended her.

Rose looked confused. "But if they're not ghosts, what are they, then?"

"Yeah, but they're human! You can see them - they LOOK human!" Jackie exclaimed, not wanting to lose what was left of her dad.

"She's got a point. I mean, they're all sort of blurred, but they're definitely people." Her daughter agreed.

"Maybe not. They're pressing themselves into the surface of the world." The Doctor thought out loud.

"A footprint doesn't look like a boot." Violet added.

Rose strode into the TARDIS, where the Doctor was standing under the flooring of the console, holding a newspaper.

"According to the paper, they've elected a ghost as MP for Leeds." She read. "Now don't tell me you're gonna sit back and do nothing."

The Doctor popped up from underneath the grilling. He was wearing a strange rucksack and holding an odd-looking device.

"Who're you gonna call?" He asked in the style of the 'Ghostbusters' theme tune.

"Ghostbusters!" Rose shouted, laughing.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts." The Doctor said with a huge smile, still in the style of the TV show. He left the TARDIS and Rose and Violet followed, laughing loudly.

Jackie waited outside and watched as he placed three cone-shaped devices in a triangle shape.

"When's the next shift?" The Doctor asked her.

"Quarter to. But don't go causing trouble. What's that lot do?" She pointed at the devices.

"Triangulates their point of origin." He said simply.

"I don't suppose it's the Gelth?" Rose asked thoughtfully.

"Nah." He dismissed. "They were just coming through one little rift. This lot are transposing themselves over the whole planet. Like tracing paper."

"You're always doing this. Reducing it to science. Why can't it be real?" Jackie said, clearly upset. "Just think of it, though... all the people we've lost- our families coming back home. Don't you think it's beautiful?"

The Doctor paused his work and looked up. "I think it's horrific."

Jackie looked shocked, but said nothing.

"Rose, Violet- give us a hand." The Doctor beckoned them. He started unwinding a cable all the way back into the TARDIS and Violet plugged it into the console while all three women followed.

"As soon as it becomes activated, if that line goes into the red, press that button there. If it doesn't stop..." He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and tossed it at Violet, "You know what to do. "If it goes into the blue, activate the deep scan on the left."

"Hang on a minute, I know..." Rose pointed at a button on the console. It's that one." She guessed.

"Mm, close."

She pointed to another, "That one?"

"You just blew us up." Violet laughed and pushed the Doctor out of the door. "I know what to do. Go on, the ghost shift is gonna start soon."

The Doctor looked at her with a mock-sour face, making Rose giggle. None of them noticed the way Jackie looked at them.

"What's the line doing?" The Doctor shouted from outside.

"It's all right, it's holding!" Rose replied.

"You even look like him." Jackie, who had been standing off, contemplating Rose, said.

"How d'you mean?" Rose looked at the doors leading outside and smiled, "I s'pose I do, yeah."

"You've changed so much." Her mother stated. At that point, Violet left to go outside, not wanting to get caught up in a private argument.

"Come on you beauty!" The Doctor shouted, facing the triangle. A ghost appeared in the centre. As it does, the cones connected each other with blue electricity over top of the ghost, trapping it insid. The Doctor held out a pair of 3D glasses to Violet and put a pair on himself. When he bent down to adjust on of his devices, the ghost started to shudder and let out a groan.

"Don't like that much, do you?" The Doctor grinned. After receiving a shock from the ghost, he stumbled backwards but continued to grin. "That's more like it! Not so friendly NOW, are you?"

Suddenly, the ghost disappeared and the Doctor and Violet grabbed the equipment and moved it back into the TARDIS as quickly as they could.

Once inside, the Doctor threw his coat over the railing. "I said so! Those ghosts have been FORCED into existence for one specific point! And I can track down the source. Allons-Y!" He pulled down a lever as Violet moved his coat away.

"You always forget to take off the brakes." She laughed and flipped a switch of her own.

"Hey! She likes it, don't you?" The Doctor stroked the TARDIS but frowned when she told him that she really didn't. He got back on track quickly and twiddled with some buttons.

I like that. 'Allons-y'. I should say 'allons-y' more often. 'Allons-y'. Watch out, Rose Tyler! Allons-y! And THEN, it would be really brilliant if I met someone called Alonzo. Because then I could say, 'allons-y, Alonzo'! Every time! You're staring at me." Rose had been watching the Doctor with a smirk on her face as he rattled on like he usually did.

"My mum's still on board." She said quietly.

"If we end up on Mars, I'm gonna kill you." Her voice sounded, and Violet laughed at his horrified face.

The group watched soldiers surround the TARDIS on the monitor after they had landed.

"Oh, well there goes the advantage of surprise. Still! Cuts to the chase. Stay in here, look after Jackie." The Doctor told Rose and Violet as he went for the door.

Violet scoffed, "What? Stay here while you have all the fun? As if."

"I'm not looking after my mum!" Rose exclaimed.

"Well, you brought her!" The Doctor countered, having accepted Violet's coming.

"I was kidnapped!" Jackie said.

"Doctor, they've got guns." Rose blocked the door for the Doctor and Violet.

"And we haven't. Which makes us the better people, don't you think?" He moved her smoothly out of the way by the waist, and Violet noticed his hands lingering for just a second longer than needed. "They can shoot us dead, but the moral high-ground is ours."

And with that, he opened the door and the two Time Lords stepped through it. Both raised their hands as the soldiers released the safety catches on their guns- all trained on them.

"Oh! Oh, how marvellous." A woman, estimated late 30s and blonde, started clapping. "Oh, very good. Superb. Happy day!"

The soldiers did the same and both Violet and the Doctor lowered their hands hesitantly, not knowing what to make of the unusual reception.

"Um. Thanks. Nice to meet you. I'm... the Doctor." He said, disturbed.

"Oh, I should say! Hurray!" They started clapping again.

"You... you've heard of me, then?"

The woman nodded with a huge smile on her face, "Well of course we have. And I have to say, if it wasn't for you, none of us would BE here. The Doctor and the TARDIS! Although, we don't know her." She gave Violet a pointed look.

"Violet." She said simply, and they all started clapping again. Finally, she gestured for silence, completely confused.

"And… you are?"

"Oh, plenty of time for that. But according to the records, you're not one for travelling alone. The Doctor and his companion. Except, that," She pointed at Violet, "Isn't her. We have records of a Rose Tyler." She said.

"Yes! Sorry. Good point. She's just a bit shy, that's all." He opened the TARDIS door and pulled out Jackie. "But here she is: Rose Tyler. She's not the best I've ever had. Bit too blonde. Not too steady on her pins. A lot of that." He mimed chatting. "And just last week, she stared into the heart of the Time Vortex and aged fifty-seven years. But she'll do."

"I'm 40!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Deluded. Bless. I'll have to trade her in. Do you need anyone? She's very good at tea. Well, I say very good, I mean not bad. Well. I say not bad... anyway! Lead on. But not too fast. Her ankle's going."

"I'll show you where my ankle's going." Jackie hissed as they followed the woman obviously in charge.

"It was only a matter of time until you found us. And at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor." She pushed open a doorway into a huge factory floor. There were scientists working on alien artefacts all over the place. "Welcome... to Torchwood."

"That's a Jathar Sunglider." The Doctor motioned at what was above.

"Came down to Earth off the Shetland Islands ten years ago."

"What, did it crash?" He asked.

"No, we shot it down. It violated our airspace." She said as if it were no big deal at all.

"You stripped it bare!" Violet exclaimed, outraged. There were living beings on that, and she doubted that they had taken care of them- they were most likely dead.

"The Torchwood Institute has a motto: "if it's alien, it's ours". Anything that comes from the sky - we strip it down, and we use it. For the good of the British Empire." The woman, who's- Violet noticed- name tag read 'Yvonne', said.

"For the good of the what?" Jackie raised her eyebrows.

"The British Empire."

"There ISN'T a British Empire." Jackie frowned and Violet wandered off, seeing an alien device she wanted to inspect. She did so, and recognised it as a piece of Dalek technology. She shivered involuntarily at thoughts of the Time War but was pulled out of it when Yvonne, the Doctor and Jackie came up behind her.

"So, what about these ghosts?" The Doctor asked.

Yvonne nodded, "As yes, the ghosts. They're... what you might call a side effect."

"Of what?"

"All in good time, Doctor. There is an itinerary, trust me." Just then, the TARDIS was driven in on the back of a truck.

"Oi! Where're you taking that?" Jackie spotted it.

"'If it's alien, it's ours.'" Yvonne repeated Torchwood's motto.

"You'll never get inside it." The Doctor smirked.

"Hm! Et cetera." She retorted.

They were in a corridor, walking alongside Yvonne and flanked by armed soldiers, much to the Doctor and Violet's disgust.

"All those times I've been on Earth, I'VE never heard of you." The Doctor commented.

"But of course not. You're the enemy. You're actually named in the Torchwood Foundation Charter of 1879 as an enemy of the Crown." Yvonne said matter-of-factly.

"1879... that was called Torchwood, that house in Scotland." He thought back.

"That's right. Where you encountered Queen Victoria and the werewolf." She nodded.

"I think he makes half of it up." Jackie added.

"Her Majesty created the Torchwood Institute with the express intention of keeping Britain great. And fighting the alien horde." Yvonne explained.

"But if I'm the enemy, does that mean that I'm a prisoner?" The Doctor asked conversationally.

"Oh yes." She smiled. "But we'll make you perfectly comfortable. And there is so much you can teach us. Starting with this." She scanned her ID against a digital lock and the door they stood before opened.

"Now, what do you make of that?" She pointed at a huge sphere with a dark golden, metallic colour. A man, Indian, straightened his jacked and approached the Doctor, who was staring at the sphere with an open mouth.

"You must be the Doctor. Rajesh Singh. It's an honour, sir." Rajesh held out his hand but the Doctor was too focused on the sphere, while Violet subconsciously started edging backwards.

"What IS that thing?" Jackie asked.

"We got no idea."

"But what's wrong with it?"

"What makes you think there's something wrong with it?" The scientist questioned.

"I dunno... just feels weird." The Doctor moved forwards and up the steps that lead up to the sphere.

"Well, the sphere has that effect on everyone. Makes you wanna run and hide. Like it's forbidden." Yvonne started.

"We tried analysing it using every device imaginable. But - according to our instruments - the sphere doesn't exist. It weighs nothing. It doesn't age. No heat. No radiation. And - has no atomic mass." Rajesh continued.

"But I can see it!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Fascinating, isn't it? It upsets people because it gives off... nothing. It is... absent." He told her.

"Well, Doctor?" Yvonne urged him to give them the answers they had been searching for for months.

"This is a Void Ship."

"And what is that?" She asked, slightly irritated.

"Well, it's impossible for starters. I always thought it was just a theory, but... it's a vessel designed to exist outside time and space. Travelling through the Void." He sounded a little worried, and Violet knew it was rightful.

"And what's 'the Void'?"

"The space between dimensions. There's all sorts of realities around us, different dimensions - billions of parallel universes all stacked up against each other. The Void is the space in-between. Containing absolutely nothing. Imagine that - nothing. No light, no dark, no up, no down. No life. No time. Without end. My people called it the Void, the Eternals call it the Howling. But some people call it Hell." He explained to them.

Rajesh frowned. "But someone built the sphere. What for? Why go there?"

"To explore. To escape. You could sit inside that thing and eternity would pass you by. The Big Bang... end of the universe, start of the next, wouldn't even touch the sides. You'd exist outside the whole of creation." The Doctor said.

"You could use it to hide from a war." Violet said, a really bad feeling coming over her. The Doctor's head snapped up.

"You don't think that…" He trailed off, too terrified to speak the words.

"It's a possibilty." She nodded solemnly. None of the humans understood what they were talking about. "That thing needs to go back. Where did it come through?"

The Doctor and Violet strode off, him walking into the wrong direction.

"Doctor." Violet called out to him, prompting him to turn around and head in her direction. She never had been one to go into a situation blind.

They were in a well-lit room with a large, completely bare, white wall on one end, and windows on the other. A few desks stood in between, where people were working. Violet noticed their earpieces beeping and thought back to the world she had been trapped in. But it couldn't be, could it?

"The sphere came through here. A hole in the world." Yvonne presented. "Not active at the moment. But when we fire particle engines at that exact spot, the breech opens up."

"How did you even find it?" The Doctor asked, running his hand along the wall.

"Well, we were getting warning signs for years. A radar black-spot. So we built this place. Torchwood Tower. The breech was six hundred foot above sea level. It was on the only way to reach it." The woman said lightly.

"You built a skyscraper just to reach a spatial disturbance? How much money have you got?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Enough." The chef of Torchwood told them.

"Ever thought about donating?" Violet commented, putting her feet up on the desk she was sitting at.

"Hold on a minute..." Everyone turned to Jackie, who stood, looking out of the windows, "We're in Canary Wharf! Must be! This building, it's Canary Wharf."

"Well, that is the public name for it. But to those in the know, it's Torchwood."

"So, you find the breech, probe it, the sphere comes through. Six hundred feet above London, bam. It leaves a hole in the fabric of reality. And that hole, you think, 'Oh, shall we leave it alone? Shall we back off? Shall we play it safe?' Nah, you think, 'let's make it BIGGER!'" The Doctor joined them.

"It's a massive source of energy. If we can harness that power, we need never depend on the Middle East again. Britain will become truly independent. Look, you can see for yourself. Next Ghost Shift's in two minutes." Yvonne said as if she was in the right, not understanding the danger of what she was doing.

"Cancel it." He said simply.

"I don't think so."

"I'm warning you, cancel it." He glared at the woman.

"Oh, exactly as the legends would have it. The Doctor, lording it over us. Assuming alien authority over the rights of Man." Yvonne provoked him.

"Let me show you." The Doctor told her. He took out his sonic crewdriver and held it to the glass that sectioned Yvonne's office off from the rest of the room.

"Sphere comes through." He activated the sonic and made a hole into the glass, effectively cracking and splintering the rest of the glass.

"But when it made the hole, it cracked the world around it. The entire surface of this dimension, splintered. And that's how the ghosts get through. That's how they get everywhere. They're bleeding through the fault lines. Walking from their world, across the Void, and into yours. With the Human Race hoping and wishing and helping them along! But too many ghosts, and..."

He placed his fingertip lightly on the glass, and the whole thing fell shattering to the ground.

"Well, in that case we'll have to be more careful." Yvonne brushed it off. "Positions! Ghost Shift in one minute." She told the staff.

"Ms Hartman, I am asking you - please, don't do it." The Doctor pleaded.

"We have done this a thousand times." She said.

"Then stop at a thousand!" He shouted, furious.

"We are in control of the ghosts. The levers can open the breech, but equally they can CLOSE it." At that point, Violet stood up.

"Hello, me again. I've very quiet, I know. Sorry about that. But you just made him raise his voice, and I can garantee you that's a bad place to stand. Cancel it." She said with a condensending stare at the woman.

"No."

They stared at eachother for a few moments. Violet couldn't believe her stupidity- she was putting two entire dimensions at risk! She glared for a few seconds before backing off.

"Okay." She smiled.

"Sorry?!" Yvonne frowned, confused.

"Oh, never mind. You're right, it'll be fun."

"What, is that it?" She asked.

Violet went back to the empty desk she sat at before and returned to her position. "Come on, Rose. Doctor. Pull up a chair. Do you have any alcohol?" She asked the man behind her.

"Ghost Shift in twenty seconds." The woman with the blinking earpieces announced.

"Great! Oh, it's gonna be brilliant! Right, Doctor?" She looked at him enthusiastically. He grinned and sat down next to her.

"Yeaaah." He dragged out.

"You can't stop us." Yvonne narrowed her eyes at them.

"You won't even notice us. Quiet as mice, we are." Violet stared her in the eyes with a large grin on her face.

"Ghost Shift in ten seconds. Nine... eight..." Yvonne looked at them uneasily, close to breaking. The girl raised her eyebrows-

"Seven... six... five... four... three... two..."

And she broke.

"Stop the shift. I said stop." She sighed.

"Wasn't that hard, was it?" Violet smiled a real smile that time.

"I suppose it makes sense to get as much intelligence as possible. But the program will recommence, as soon as you've explained everything." She looked at the Doctor.

"I'm glad to be of help." He told her truthfully.

"And someone clear up this glass." She told no one in particular before turning back to the Doctor. "They did warn me, Doctor. They said you like to make a mess." She dissapeared back into her office and Violet giggle, earning her a nudge from the Doctor as they followed her.

"So these ghosts, whatever they are - did they build the sphere?" Yvonne sat at her desk, a laptop before her, while Violet and the Doctor on the other side of the desk with their feet on it's surface. Jackie stood by the window.

"Must have. Aimed it at this dimension like a canon ball." He told her, but looked at Violet, who was very uneasy in her seat and fidgeting with her bracelet.

"Yvonne? I think you should see this. We've got a visitor. We don't know who she is, but funnily enough, she arrived at the same time as the Doctor." Rajesh's voice came through the laptop and Yvonne turned it around to reveal Rose and the scientist on the screen.

"She one of yours?" She asked.

"Never seen her before in my life." He shook his head.

"Good! Then we can have her shot." Yvonne smiled.

"Oh all right then, it was worth a try. That's... that's Rose Tyler." He sat up, taking his feet off of the table.

"Sorry." Rose waved into the webcam. "Hello!"

The Doctor waved back with a grin.

"Well, if that's Rose Tyler, who's SHE?" Yvonne motioned to Jackie.

"I'm her mother." The woman in question replied proudly.

"Oh, you travel with her mother?" She smirked.

"He kidnapped me."

The Doctor leaned forward, "Please, when Torchwood comes to write my complete history, don't tell people I travelled through time and space with her mother..."

"Charming." Jackie said sarcastically.

"I've got a reputation to uphold!" He told her.

Violet was going to comment, but the sounds of the ghost shift machine started up, and Yvonne addressed her staff.

"Excuse me? Everyone? I thought I said stop the ghost shift." The three workers with the blinking earpieces ignored her, typing away. The Doctor and Viole exchanged glances, having seen that before.

"Who started the program? But- I ordered you to stop! Who's doing that?!" She pointed at the leaver which was rising by itself.

"Step away from the monitors, everyone." She ordered.

When nobody did, she panicked, "Gareth, Addy - stop what you're doing, RIGHT NOW. Matt. Step away from your desk. That's an order! Stop the levers!"

Two scientists rushed over to the levers and struggled to push them down.

"What's she doing?" The Doctor walked up to a darker skinned woman.

"Addy? Step away from the desk." Yvonne said. The Doctor clicked his fingers, but the woman didn't react.

"They're overriding the system." Violet examined one of the computers and turned to stare at the empty wall.

"We're going into Ghost Shift." The Doctor said with a hint of panic in his voice. He turned back to the woman.

"It's the ear-piece controlling them. I've seen this before." He took out his sonic screwdriver and stood behind her.

"Sorry. I'm so sorry." He told her sincerely. He held the sonic to the earpiece, deactivating it. The three workers screamed in pain before slumping over the desk.

"What happened? What did you just do?" Yvonne demanded.

"They're dead." He told them and typed a few things at a computer and was going to move to the other, but Violet beat him there.

"You killed them." Jackie accused.

"They were already dead." Violet told her while typing.

"But he killed them!" She insisted.

Violet growled lowly, "Shut up, Jackie! Not the time!"

She focused on the computer but still heard Yvonne pull out one of Addie's earpieces. She sighed and turned to them.

"They're still controlling the system. Hi-jacked it, the override is deadlock-sealed. You have to find the source." She told them, mainly the Doctor. He nodded and ran off, sonic screwdriver held out in front of him.

Violet watched as the scientists tried to pull down the levers, but it was no use. The light got brighter and everyone squinted.

For a while, they just stood and waited- there was nothing anyone could do, but soon Violet heard Cybermen approaching. They led the Doctor and Yvonne back into the rift chamber and the Doctor shouted,

"Get away from the machines - do what they say, don't fight them!" The Cybermen killed one of the scientists anyway, and Violet pushed through the Cybermen, towards the Doctor. Once she made it past, she cowered into the Doctor's arm, making him frown at her in concern.

"What are they?" Jackie squeaked, terrified. The Doctor didn't answer, he just held his scared companion while she shook.

"We are the Cybermen. The Ghost Shift will be increased to one hundred percent." One of them answered, clamping a fist over its chest, making the lever rise again, beginning the Ghost Shift.

"Online." A computer announced.

"Here come the ghosts." The Doctor said, melancholy. He watched rows upon rows of Cybermen advance out of the hole.

"These Cybermen - what've they got to do with the ghosts?" Jackie asked the man who took her daughter into similar things all the time.

"Do you never listen? A footprint doesn't look like a boot!" He replied, frustrated.

"Achieving full transfer." A Cyberman said.

"They're Cybermen. All of the ghosts are Cybermen." The Doctor said. "Millions of them. Right across the world."

"They're invading the whole planet." It dawned on Yvonne.

"It's not an invasion, it's too late for that. It's a victory." He said seriously.

A computer beeped and said, "Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated. Sphere activated."

"What I don't understand is Cybermen don't have the technology to build the Void Ship, that's WAY beyond you. How did you create that sphere?" The Doctor asked.

"The sphere is not ours." One of them said.

"What?" He asked, stunned.

"The sphere broke down the barriers between worlds. We only followed. Its origin is unknown." It repeated.

"But that would mean that..." He trailed off.


	7. Doomsday

"What's down there? She was in that room with the sphere. What's happened to Rose?" Jackie panicked.

"I don't know." He said abruptly, still holding Violet. He didn't know what was wrong with her, and he couldn't stop to think- not while Rose was down by the Daleks.

When Jackie started to cry, he let go of Violet for a second and went over Rose's mother.

"I'll find her. I brought you here, I'll get you both out. You and your daughter. Jackie, look at me. Look at me." He urged. She did, her eyes red from her tears.

"I promise you. I give you my word." He said sincerely before going back to Violet and holding her again.

They watched as the Cyberman ordered surrender.

"They're not taking instructions. Don't you understand? You're on every street - you're in their homes. You've got their children." The Doctor raged. "Of course they're gonna fight."

"Scans detect unknown technology active within sphere chamber." One of the Cybermen suddenly said.

"Cybermen will investigate." Another said while yet another pushed two member of staff roughly before him. "Units 10 65 and 10 66 will investigate sphere chamber."

"We obey." The Cybermen said.

"Units open visual link." The Cyberman who seemed to be te leader, said. A visual appeared on Yvonne's laptop a few seconds later.

"Visual contact established." What came next scared the Doctor more that he had been in a long while. It was a Dalek.

"Identify yourselves." They heard. When Violet heard the familiar voice, she looked up.

"No, no, no, no. This can't be happening, it can't." She panicked, seeing the Cult of Skaaro on the laptop screen.

"Rose said about the Daleks. She was terrified of them. What have they done to her, Doctor? Is she dead?" Jackie asked, afraid of the answer.

"Phone." Was all he said.

"What did you-" She whispered.

"Phone!" She gave him her phone inconspiciously and he dialled Rose's number. "She's answered, she's alive." He said as soon as she picked up.

"Why haven't they killed her?" He wondered.

"Well, don't complain!" Jackie exclaimed.

"They must need her for something." He was silent for a moment, listening to the conversation over the phone. "The Genesis Ark?" He frowned, not noticing Violet stiffen in his worry for Rose.

They were silent again for a few more moments, before the Doctor took the phone from his ear. "Lost her."

Jackie and Yvonne had been dragged away for an 'upgrade', and the Doctor and Violet sat silently on the window sill. Violet was still shaking, but was thinking at a hundred miles an hour, just as the Doctor was.

A Cyberman approached them.

"You are proof."

"Of what?"

"That emotions destroy you." It replied.

"Yeah, I am." He looked to the side for a second as something caught his eye. "Mind you, I quite like hope. Hope's a good emotion. And here it comes."

Out of thin air, a group of people dressed in black suits, with helmets and guns. One of them gave commands and they destroyed the Cybermen in the rift chamber, the Doctor just managing to move himself and Violet out of the way before the one standing next to them was blown up.

"Doctor- good to see you again." A familiar voice said, approaching them. He took off his helmet to reveal Jake, the boy who had helped fight the Cybermen in the parallel world.

"Jake?!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"The Cybermen came through from one world to another- and so did we." He said simply. "Defend this room. Chrissie, monitor communications." He ordered the rest of the group. "Kill one Cyber Leader and they just download into another. Move!" They did as they were told, leaving only the Doctor, Violet and Jake in the room.

"You can't just- just- just HOP from one world to another. You CAN'T." The Doctor spluttered.

"We just did. With these." Jake threw a large yellow button at him.

"But that's impossible. You can't have this sort of technology." He argued.

"We've got our own version of Torchwood. They developed it. Do you wanna come and see?"

"No!" He shouted, but it was too late- Jake, Violet and the Doctor were transported to the parallel world. The place looked the same, except that it was darker and there were wires all over the floor.

"Parallel Earth - parallel Torchwood. Except we found out what the institute was doing and the people's republic took control." Jake explained.

"I've gotta get back. Rose is in danger. And her mother." The Doctor pushed.

A man walked in, flanked by two soldiers, "That'd be Jackie." The Doctor looked up, stunned. "My wife in a parallel universe. And as for you, Doctor, at least this time I know who you are."

"Right, yes, fine, hooray. But I've gotta get back. Right now." He said quickly, not wanting to waste any more time.

"No, you're not in charge here. This is our world, not yours. And you're gonna listen for once." Pete said, earning him a dark look from the Doctor.

"When you left this world, you warned us there'd be more Cybermen. So we sealed them inside the factories." Pete started.

Jake joined in. "Except people argued. Said they were living. We should HELP them."

"And the debate went on. But all that time, the Cybermen made plans. Infiltrated this version of Torchwood, mapped themselves onto your world, and then vanished." Pete finished.

"When was this?"

"Three years ago." Jackie Tyler's dead husband replied.

"It's taken them three years to cross the void, but we can pop to and fro in a second. Must be the sheer mass of five million Cybermen crossing all at once." The Doctor thought out loud. He looked down at Violet who hadn't moved at all since they had been transported and sat her on a chair close to him. She kept herself upright, but made her hair fall over her face while she thought, blocking out their conversation.

The Doctor forgot, sometimes. She didn't blame him, she knew how his brain- like hers- moved at 100 miles an hour. The people at Cybus Industries had locked her up and tested on her. She was scared of them. They showed her the Cybermen plans and wanted her to enhance them, make them more lethal. When she refused... It wasn't pretty.

She was a weapon. That's all she was, all she ever had been. All she ever would be.

"Violet, we're going back. Gotta end a war, if that's okay with you." The Doctor spoke, trying to be cheery, but she knew he was far from it. Violet nodded and, in a flash, they were back in their world.

"First of all, I need to make a phone call. You don't mind?" The Doctor rushed to a phone.

"You two, guard to door." Jake told two people.

"Jackie, you're alive! Listen-" The Doctor was interrupted by loud screeches that even Violet heard.

"Listen, tell me - where are you?"

"Yeah, which one? Is there any- any sort of sign? Anything to identify it?"

"Yeah, that helps..." He said.

"North corner, staircase 3. Just keep low, we're trying our best."

"I've gotta go, I'm sorry."

He put down the phone and turned to Pete.

"Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler."

"She's not my wife." Peter replied, emotionless.

"I was at the wedding. You got her name wrong." He accused. He moved to Jake and took the gun away from him.

"Now then, Jake-y boy, if I can open up the bonding chamber on this thing, it could work on polycarbide." He stated.

"What's polycarbide?" The boy asked.

"Skin of a Dalek."

Violet felt herself being pulled somewhere, but she didn't care enough to notice. At that moment, she was fighting her fear of the Cybermen so she could actually be useful. She was in shock, she knew that, she just needed another shock big enough to get her out of the one she was in.

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and Violet was pushed down by the force of it. Granted, she would have a few bruises, but she was out of her stupor. She heard shooting and shouting, reminding her all too much of the Time War, but she got up just in time to be pulled away by the Doctor.

They were running. The Doctor, Rose, Mickey and Viole were running, and Mickey kept apologising.

"I just fell, I didn't mean it!" He said.

"Mickey, without us, they'd have opened it by force. To do that, they'd have blown up the sun. You've done us a favour!" The Doctor kissed the top of Mickey's head. "Now, run!"

Pete shot the Cybermen, making them drop dead. Once the smoke had cleared, Jackie could be seen. She squinted through the remaining smoke, but her eyes widened.

"Pete!" She shouted.

He smiled, "Hello, Jacks."

"I said there were ghosts, but that's not fair. Why him?" She asked no oen in particular.

"I'm not a ghost." Pete stated.

"But you're dead. You died twenty years ago, Pete."

The Doctor stepped forward ans started explaining, "It's Pete from a different Universe. There are parallel worlds, Jackie-" but Violet pulled him back, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh thank god, you're okay." He looked at her. She had a blank look in her eyes, but she was out of her shock, finally. She let out a breath and hugged her. "You scared me."

"Is the Genesis Ark open?" She only asked. The Doctor looked at her strangely before nodding. She also nodded and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and grabbed her own.

"Since when have you had that?" The Doctor asked, but Violet was already running off. She knew what she had to do. She had been absent enough to let the Daleks declare a war on Earth, and she couldn't let that happen.

Once she found a large, empty storage hall, she held the two sonic devices together, creating a high-pitched sound wave, silent to humans, but she knew the Daleks would be able to hear it.

And they did. A few dozen of Daleks filtered into the hall, circling her. Finally there were so many that she didn't notice the Doctor standing by the door, watching her.

"So, Cult of Skaro!" She shouted, and the four Daleks showed themselves.

"The Unnamed!" They screeched a greeting.

"You survived the Time War." Violet stated.

"We kept ourselves from extinction!"

"I would never willingly commit genocide." She stared at them with a cold face.

"But you did." They accused. "You were the downfall of so many planets. You are the Destroyer of All."

"It wasn't my fault." She looked down, not quite believing it herself.

"It was! And now you will do it again!" One of the Daleks screamed.

"Oh, no. There are so many possibilities. I could put you back in that Genesis Ark, I could imprison you in the centre of a star- I could even make you human! But I won't kill you." Violet spat.

"You will not. We will not be imprisoned again- we would rather die!" They told her.

"Is that how scared you are? The Daleks, the supreme race. But along comes just one Time Lord. You're willing to die because of a single threat?" She asked said calmly, looking at all of them. In her mind flashed hundreds of ways she could end the Dalek race, but she couldn't. Not after everything she had already done.

"The Daleks do not feel!"

"You sure about that?" She stepped closer to one of them, and it reeled back in shock. "Because I think you do. There's still that little bit- just a tiny slither- and that's fear. Because the Universe speaks of me and you are terrified of my mercy. So, I'll let you choose your punishment. I dunno, I was thinking somewhere hot. Or would you prefer cold? Because I know this great little place- bigger on the inside, of course- and it's freezing in there. Really. It'd be fun. OR! How about sandy? Get a little dust in your machinery, but might be nice. You know, for a prison." She rambled as it was usual for Time Lords, relishing all the choices she had.

"Kill us!" One of the Daleks suddenly demanded.

"No." She growled.

"Then we will do it for you!" One of them said. "You will live with the lives of the entire Dalek species on your shoulders. You did this!"

"Self-destruct!" One of them screeched, and blew up.

"No! You can't do that!" Violet shouted.

"This will be our final victory!" Another one blew up, and she could hear various explosions outside.

"Please! No! Just stop! You can't do this!" She screamed, tears flooding down her face. A Dalek close to her self-destructed, hurling debris at Violet. She didn't notice- she just fell to ground as every Dalek that came from the Genesis Ark killed itself.

They truly had won.

Violet sobs got more violent once the silence came. No more explosions. Genocide. It was all her fault. She should have taken them by surprise, but she let her anger get the best of her. The fury of the Time Lords was always their downfall.

Suddenly, arms were holding her. She looked up and saw the Doctor, soothing her. He wasn't scared of her. She knew he had seen everything, but he wasn't scared of her.

"You're not scared of me." She repeated out loud.

"No." Was all he said.

"Only person in existence." She whispered before wiping away her tears and standing up. She brushed her clothes free of debris and looked around, eyeing the damage before choosing to ignore it. She knew she was like the Doctor in that aspect. She just pushed everything away if it didn't fit into the rountine.

"Let's go save Earth." She said, smiling, even though it was killing her to do so.

"What are we gonna do?" Rose asked as she, The Doctor, Violet, Jackie, Peter and the rest of the group ran trough the corridors of Torchwood.

"Escort them out." Violet said before pulling open some double doors. Inside was a storage room, lined with Cybermen, all standing still. Violet hissed quietly.

"You will come with us." The Cyber Leader spoke.

"No, I'm really not. I've had enough of being locked up, thanks." Violet said nonchalantly, moving around the room.

"You were the cause of death of our enemies in war." It said. "You will help us take over the world.

"Except I won't. Don't you remember that you came from these people?" She moved around further, up to the magna-clamps they had seen earlier. "You have their brains. Which means that, technically, they're you." She grabbed the round, black devices with handles on one side and strolled slowly back through the room.

"You're going to turn them all into Cybermen, but you must remember. The pain you felt when you were upgraded... Do you really want to do that to other people?" She asked them, having made it to the door.

"The Cyberment do not feel." The Leader said.

"Alright. Worth a try. In that case- see ya!" She ran through the doors and threw a magna-clamp at the Doctor before they started running.

"We need to get to the rift chamber!" He shouted and headed for the stairs.

"That's forty-five floors up! Believe me, I've done 'em all." Jackie complained.

Jake's head popped out of a door, which held a lift. "We could always take the lift..."

On the top floor, Violet looked out of the windows. There was debris everywhere, remainders of the Dalek species and bemidst it all- Cybermen. The Doctor joined her and they stared silently for a second.

"How did you know what the Genesis Ark was?" He asked her.

Violet looked up at him but turned back to window, not wanting to see his expression. "I built it."

Then, Pete joined them, surveying the damage of the outside world.

"I'm sorry, but you've had it." He said, "This world's gonna crash and burn. There's nothing we can do. We're going home. Jacks, take this." He threw his wife a yellow button.

"But they're destroying the city!" She exclaimed.

He looked at her affectionately, "I'd forgotten you could argue."

"It's not just London, it's the whole world." He took her face in his hands. "But there's another world, just waiting for you, Jacks. And it's safe. As long as the Doctor closes the breach. Doctor?"

The man in question turned around with his 3D glasses on. "Oh, I'm ready. I've got the equipment right here. Thank you, Torchwood!" He started typing. "Slam it down and close off both universes."

"Reboot systems." The computer stated.

"But we can't just leave. What about the Cybermen?" Rose asked.

"They're part of the problem. And THAT makes them part of the solution. Oh yes!" He said with his usual enthusiasm, making Rose laugh nervously.

"Well?! Isn't anyone gonna ask? What is it with the glasses?" He grinned.

Rose smiled, too. "What is it with the glasses?"

"I can SEE! That's what! 'Cos we've got two separate worlds, but in-between the two separate worlds, we've got the Void. That's where the Daleks were hiding. And the Cybermen travelled through the Void to get here! And you lot - one world to another, via the Void! Oh, I like that. Via the Void! Look!" He took off his glasses and put them on Rose.

"I've been through it. Do you see?" The Doctor asked her, dodging about so she could see.

"Reboot in three minutes." The computer announced.

"What is it?" Rose asked, reaching out her hand to try and touch it.

"Void stuff."

Violet laughed at that, and added, "For the lack of a better name."

"Like um... background radiation!" Rose guessed.

"That's it. Look at the others."

"The only one who hasn't been through the Void - your mother." He pointed at her. "First time she's looked normal in her life."

"Oi!" Jackie cried.

"The Cybermen lived inside the Void. They're bristling with it. I just open the Void - end of verse. The Void stuff gets sucked back inside."

"PULLING them all in." Rose shouted with the same enthusiasm as the Doctor.

"Pulling them all in!" He repeated, grinning.

Mickey interrupted, "Sorry... what's- what's the Void?"

Since the Doctor was a little pre-occupied with Rose, Violet answered for him. "The dead space. Some people call it 'Hell'."

"So... he's sending the Cybermen to Hell." He repeated and turned to Jake. "Man, I told you he was good."

"But it's... like you said, we've ALL got Void stuff. Me too, 'cos we went to that parallel world." Rose said a little louder. She flexed her hand. "We're all contaminated. We'll get pulled in."

"That's why you've gotta go." The Doctor told her.

"Reboot in two minutes."

"Back to Pete's world. Hey, we should call it that - 'Pete's World'." He told the man. "I'm opening the Void, but only on this side. You'll be safe on that side."

"And then you close it. For good?" Pete asked.

Violet nodded, "The breach itself is soaked in Void Stuff, in the end it'll close itself."

"But you stay on THIS side?" Rose asked, just starting to realised what that would mean.

"But you'll get pulled in." Mickey stated.

"That's why we got the Magna-clamps. We should be able to hold on for the time it takes." Violet held up on of the clamps.

"I'm supposed to go." Rose said, uncomprehending.

The Doctor looked at her for a moment. "Yeah."

"To another world, and then it gets sealed off."

"Yeah."

"Forever." She laughed. "That's not gonna happen."

There was a crash, shaking the building.

"We haven't got time to argue, the plans works, we go in. You too. ALL of us." Pete pointed at Rose.

"No, I'm not leaving him!" She argued angrily.

Jackie added, "I'm not going without her."

"Oh, my God. We're GOING." Pete said, irritated.

"I've had twenty years without you, so button it. I'm not leaving her." Jackie retorted.

"You've got to." Rose told her.

Her mother's voice rose, "Well, that's tough!"

"Mum..." Rose started as Violet went to help the Doctor with the computers.

"Reboot in one minute."

"I've had a life with you for nineteen years. But then I met the Doctor and... all the things I've seen him do for me. For you. For all of us. For the whole... stupid planet and every planet out there. He does it alone, mum."

She didn't see the Doctor, with sadness in his eyes, take out a dimension jump.

"But not anymore. 'Cos now he's got me." Rose told her, just as the Doctor looped the chain of the button around her neck.

"What're you-" Pete quickly pressed the button, moving them into the parallel world, leaving the Doctor staring at the empty space she had stood in and Violet at the computers, setting up the rift.

Just as the Doctor was going to turn back to help Violet, Rose reappeared. "I think this is the on switch..." She muttered.

Violet turned around in shock, watching the Doctor trying to knock some sense into her.

"Once the breach collapses, that's IT. You will never be able to see her again. Your own mother!" He told her fiercely.

"I made my choice a long time ago." Rose said calmly. He looked at her, stunned. "So what can I do to help?"

"Systems rebooted. Open access."

"Those co-ordinates over there, set them all at six." He pointed to a computer. "And hurry up." He added angrily.

"We've got Cybermen on the way up." Rose told them, seeing the CCTV on another screen.

"How many floors down?" Violet asked, running to look.

"Just one."Violet watched silently as Yvonne, even as a Cyberman, defended them.

"Levers operational." The computerised voice told them, making the Doctor grin.

"That's more like it, bit of a smile! The old team!" Rose said cheerily.

"Hope and Glory, Mutt and Jeff, Shiver and Shake!" He listed.

"Which one's Shiver?"

The Doctor grinned, "Oh, I'm Shake."

Violet walked away from the door and grabbed a magna-clamp, just as the Doctor did. They attached them to the walls next to the levers, securing them.

"When it starts, just hold on tight. Shouldn't be too bad for us but the Cybermen are seeped in Void Stuff. Are you ready?" The Doctor told mainly Rose. She nodded moved to the clamp Violet was at, the Doctor at the other.

"Let's do it!" He yelled. They pushed levers upwards and take hold of the magna-clamps.

"Online."

The white light of the rift appeared along with a strong wind. The Cybermen and debris of the Daleks are pulled in as the trio hold onto the handles tightly.

"The breach is open! Into the Void! Ha!" The Doctor shouted as everything hurtled into the Void.

They watched with smiles on their faces, but there was a small explosion on Rose and Violet's lever, and they faded as the lever slid back down.

"Offline."

"Turn it on!" The Doctor shouted. Since Violet was trapped inbetween the wall and Rose, there wasn't much she could do, so she watched anxiously as Rose used on of her hands to reach for the lever. She couldn't reach it, however, and let go of the clamp completely.

"I've gotta get it upright!" Rose shouted. She pushed the lever upright and Violet reached out her hand to grab Rose's and started pulling her back. Despite her effort, she was about to lose her own grip on the magna-clamp. Rose noticed this and shook her head.

"You know how you said that you couldn't bear to see the Doctor's face if he lost me?" She shouted. Violet nodded. "I don't think I could bear it either. Let go of me, Violet." Rose told her, prying her hand out of Violet's.

"No! You can't... Just hold on, please!" Violet yelled desperately.

"You're losing your grip, too. He can't lose both of us. Please." She had a sincere look on her face, and Violet faltered, her hold on Rose becoming just a little too loose- just enough for Rose to get out of it. She cried out as she got pulled into the Void, the Doctor screaming her name. Out of nowhere, Pete appeared and grabbed Rose. They vanished into the parallel world again a second later.

The Breach closed itself and both the Doctor and Violet fell to the floor, breathing heavily. The wind and the bright light died down, leaving silence behind.

The Doctor stood up slowly and walked to the wall. He laid one palm flat against it and rested his head against it, Violet watching with tears in her eyes. Finally, he slid down the wall and collapsed onto the ground. Violet ran up to him and held him as he sobbed.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She repeated over and over, blaming herself for letting go of Rose. Tears started falling from her eyes, too, as she cradled the Doctor's head in an useless attempt to soothe him. "I'm so sorry, Theta."

They walked back to the TARDIS in silence. Violet made him sit down on the jump-seat as she ran around the console, flying them into orbit around a super-nova before she scanned for any gaps left in the universe and found one in Norway. When she looked at the Doctor, who sat with a blank expression on his face, she sighed and sent Rose a message with her extended telepathic field and, for a few hours, they waited. They sat silently, never saying a word. Violet didn't know if he blamed her, but she knew that she blamed herself. If she had been stronger...

Finally, the TARDIS alerted Violet of Rose's presence, and she took out her sonic to make her visible inside of the control room. The Doctor looked up, seeing Rose standing on a beach.

"Talk to her." Violet whispered and left them alone. She was just in the corridor, still listening to them. They talked for a little while, and she expected them to say goodbye any minute, but she heard her name.

"Can I talk to Violet?" Rose asked the Doctor. He looked around and saw her coming towards him.

"Yeah. She's here." He switched places with her.

"Hi." Rose said.

"Hello."

Rose could hear the pain in Violet's voice. "Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault."

"It was, though. If I had been stronger-" Violet was cut off.

"If you hadn't let go, we would have both fallen into the Void. He couldn't lose both of us- he needs you... You'll take care of him, right?" Rose said firmly.

"Yeah." Violet replied grimly.

"Tell him I love him, yeah?" The blonde looked at her pleadingly.

Violet smiled a little. "I will. And thank you, Rose. When you first met the Doctor, he was full of fury and rage, but you made him better. You saved him."

Rose nodded with tears in her eyes, "Bye." She said, her voice breaking.

"Goodbye, Rose Tyler." And with that, the projection faded as the breach closed completely. Violet stared into the nothing for a few more moments before she went to find the Doctor.

Violet found the Doctor in his room, sleeping. After watching his chest rise and fall for a moment, she went into the TARDIS' library and distracted herself with reading at a very slow pace.

She did this for a few hours, until she finally got the image of the destroyed Daleks out of her head. Once she had finished the third book, the TARDIS called out to her.

"Please help Theta. He needs you now." She told Violet. The girl immediately went to his room and found him struggling with nightmares, shouting out in his sleep.

"Theta." She went to him and gently woke him up. He opened his eyes and whimpered.

"Rose is gone." He said, his voice hoarse.

"I know. I'm sorry." Violet stroked his cheek gently, calming him down.

"Can't we get her back?"

She shook her head and smiled sadly. "Not unless you want both dimensions to collapse."

He looked around, as if realising where he was. "Uhm, sorry. Did I wake you?" He said, sitting up.

"No, it's fine. I'm here for you, okay?" The Doctor nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"You can go, if you want. I just... had a bad dream."

Violet hugged him suddenly, stunning him. "I said I'm here for you." He put his arms around her, too, and they stayed like that for a few minutes, just listening to their hearts beating in sync. "Go back to sleep." She told him softly, and he laid back down. Once his eyes had closed, she went to leave, but the Doctor stopped her.

"Please don't leave." He mumbled, making Violet smile.

"I'll never leave you, Theta. I promise." She heard his breathing become more even and just sat on the edge of his bed for a while, guarding him from his nightmares.

"Thank you." The TARDIS hummed.

She nodded and kissed his forehead, moving to a chair in his room. She looked around. It was quite plain, but he had a few books and journals flying around and a few pictures on the walls. Most of them were of him and Rose, but one caught her eye. It was of Gallifrey. It was taken outside of the Citadel, just as the suns had risen. It was a breathtaking sight, and it reminded Violet of her home.

She spent the rest of the night daydreaming while the Doctor slept. She imagined that she was back on her planet, back before everything had gone wrong.

It was just a dream though. Much too soon, the morning came and the Doctor woke up.

"Hey." He croaked.

"Hi." She replied, smiling a little. "I'm gonna go get something to eat." She told him and got up.

Violet stood in the TARDIS kitchen, drinking a cup of tea, when the Doctor came in. He was dressed and looking a lot better.

"So, any plans for today?" He asked cheerfully, but Violet knew it was just a facade.

"I'm going to get some clothes. I don't want to have to keep borrowing them from the TARDIS wardrobe." She said. While that was true to an extent, she just wanted and Earth day. She needed to get out of the TARDIS and spend a day not worring about the fate of the planet.

"Okay. I'm just going to fix some things in the TARDIS, then." He nodded.

"Oh lord. You're going to blow her up one day, you know that, right?" Violet shook her head but smiled anyway.

"I'm not that bad!" He defended himself. Violet just pointed at the spot where the toaster should have been standing and gave him a look.

"I didn't know it was going to cause an explosion!" He exclaimed, making her laugh.

"Sure you didn't."

"She called you 'spaceman'?" Violet laughed. She and the Doctor were talking about what happened while she was gone shopping. About how Donna Noble, the ginger bride, had appeared on the TARDIS, and about the Racnoss being the center of the Earth.

"Right after she called me 'Martian', yeah." The Doctor leaned back on he jumpseat. "I liked her."

"Maybe we'll see her again." Violet smiled at his enthusiasm before launching into a story of her own.

"I did see something interesting on my oh-so-boring shopping trip, though. Royal Hope Hospital- that one by Chancery Street? There were plasma coils running up it, and I thought 'Hey, might be Judoon.' So I went in and saw Slabs. I mean, Slabs. That's just screaming 'trouble'." She stopped for breath. "Wanna go check it out?"

"Slabs?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Violet grinned. "Oh yes."


	8. Smith, Stewart and Jones

The Doctor was lying in a hospital bed in his pyjamas, Violet sitting next to him. They were chatting as an actual Doctor and a group of medical students came up to them.

"Now then, Mr Smith, a very good morning to you. Who is this lovely young lady?" Mr Stoker, as his name tag read, asked.

The Doctor was going to answer, but Violet beat him to it. "I'm the fiancee. Violet Stewart." She smiled and held out her hand. The man shook it and turned to the Doctor.

"How are you today?"

"Aw, not so bad, still a bit, you know. Blah." He said lightly, looking at Violet, who smiled.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains." He told the students before asking a dark-skinned woman, "Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me."

"That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?" She asked the Doctor.

"Sorry?" He looked confused.

"On Chancery Street this morning. You came up to me and took your tie off." Miss Jones told him.

"Really? What did I do that for?" He questioned.

"I don't know, you just did."

"Not me. I was here, in bed. Ask her." The Doctor pointed at his fake fiancee.

Jones frowned. "Well, that's weird, cause it looked like you. Have you got a brother?"

"No, not any more. Just me." He said regretfully, and Violet reached out to hold his hand.

"As time passes, I grow ever more infirm and weary, Miss Jones." Mr Stoker said, irritated.

"Sorry. Right." She grabbed her stethoscope and put it to the Doctor's chest. She moved it after a second to the other heart. She looked up at him, confused, and the Doctor winked. Violet swatted his arm playfully.

Mr Stoker sighed, "I weep for further generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um. I don't know. Stomach cramps?" She suggested.

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart." He picked up the chart at the end of the bed and received an electric shock, dropping it in the process.

"That happened to me this morning." Jones said.

"I had the same thing on the door handle." Another medical student added.

Someone else nodded, "And me, on the lift."

"That's only to be expected. There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by...?" He looked around at the clueless students. "Anyone?"

"Benjamin Franklin." Violet and the Doctor said simultaneously, grinning.

"Correct!" Mr Stoker approved.

"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..." He started.

"...and then I got electrocuted."

"I think perhaps a visit from psychiatric." Mr Stoker moved away from them.

"Charming man." Violet commented sarcastically before pulling the Doctor's suit out of her bag. "Now, get dressed. I'm going to look around a bit."

She walked down the hallways and found a window. She gazed out of it and got caught up in her thoughts.

In the last few days, The Doctor and Violet had grown closer. As Time Lords, they barely needed sleep, but when the Doctor did sleep, he was plagued by nightmares. He didn't know it, but since that one night, Violet had been staying in his room as he slept, ready to wake him if the nightmares got too bad. She often took a book with her and read, but she spent a lot of time thinking.

Throught the loss of Rose, the Doctor had grown just a little more obnoxious, but Violet knew it was self-preservation. When he allowed himself to feel, he broke down. But she was always there to pick up the pieces. She had to be, because there was no one else who would.

Violet was snapped out of her thoughts when she saw the rain going upwards. Judoon. She ran to find the Doctor.

"Oh, there you are!" Violet pushed through some double doors that lead to a balcony, seeing the Doctor and the medical student from earlier.

"Hi. Uhm.. Miss Jones, is it?" She asked the woman.

"Yeah. Martha Jones. You're soon-to-be Mrs Smith, are you?" Martha asked with a look of slight jealousy on her face.

"No, just a cover. I'm Violet. I'm guessing you already know him." She pointed at the Doctor, looking at the scene around them. She picked up a pebble and threw it outwards. When it his a certain point, a bubble wrapped around the hospital revealed itself.

"Force field. How many people in this hospital?" Violet asked Martha.

"Like, a thousand?" She guessed.

Violet winced. "The air won't last long. And it's Judoon. They'll take forever."

"What are Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Come on." Violet didn't answer, just dragged both the Doctor and Martha inside as she saw the Judoon ships landing.

They were above the reception area, watching the Judoon filter in.

"Bo sco fo do no kro blo co sho ro!" The first chanted.

"We are citizens of planet earth. We welcome you in peace." A medical student said bravely. The Judoon pushed him against a wall and shone a blue light in his face.

"Please don't hurt me, I was just trying to help, I'm sorry, don't hurt me, please don't hurt me." He pleaded, afraid.

"Language assimilated. Designation Earth English. You will be catalogued." The Judoon drew a cross on his hand. "Category: human. Catalogue all suspects."

The Judoon started scanning all people on the bottom floor.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop. I like a little shop." The Doctor commented.

"Never mind that! What are Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Galactic police." He replied.

"More like interplanetary thugs. Police for hire." Violet corrected him.

"And they brought us to the moon?"

"Neutral territory. According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop." He told her.

"What's that about 'galactic law'? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?" Martha panicked.

"No. But I like that. Good thinking. No, it's more simple. They're making a catalogue, it means they're after something non-human."

"We're screwed, basically." Violet finished.

"Why?" Martha asked. Both Time Lords gave her a look. "Oh, you're kidding me." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on, then."

The Doctor and Violet were examining a computer with his sonic, when Martha came in.

"They've reached third floor." She announced and pointed. "What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver." He told her off-handely.

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!" She complained.

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look." He held it out to her.

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?" She asked sarcastically.

"I did, but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman." He told her seriously.

"Really?" Violet asked. "Always wanted to meet her. She showed the boys where it was at, didn't she?"

The Doctor grinned at her before hitting the computer. "Oh, this computer! The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon. Cause we were just travelling past, I swear, we were just wandering, not looking for trouble, honestly, but Violet noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so I checked in, we thought something was going on inside, it turns out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above." He rattled on.

"But what were they looking for?" Martha interrupted him.

"Something that looks human, but isn't."

"Like you. Apparently." She smiled.

"Like us." He looked at her. "But not us."

"Haven't they got a photo?"

He grimaced, "Might be a shape-changer."

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?" She asked.

Violet stepped in, "If they declare the hospital guilty of harbouring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"All of us?"

"Oh yes. If I can find this thing first... Oh!" He shouted, making Martha take a step back. "Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick!" He hit the computer again. "They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever."

"It never did help to hit a machine, you know. Budge over." Violet moved to the computer and pulled out her own sonic.

"What are we looking for?" Martha questioned.

"I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms." The Doctor said, frustrated.

"I'll go ask Mr Stoker, he might know." She left, just as Violet restored the back-up.

"Oh, I'm brilliant, you have to admit." She laughed. "Come on, let's go find Martha."

They made it into the hallway before they bumped into her.

"I found her." She told them, breathing heavily from running.

"You did what?" He saw the Slabs and grabbed Martha's hand. "Run!" He shouted. The made their way down the stairs, Slabs hot on their tails. Unfortunately, the meet the Judoon coming up, so they go down the hallyway instead.

They skidded around corners before making it into a radiology room. The Doctor slammed to door shut in a Slab's face and used his sonic to seal it.

"When I say 'now', press the button." He dragged Martha to the controls.

"I don't know which one!" She shouted.

"Find out!" He replied in the same tone, plugging his sonic screwdriver into some of the machinery. Violet grabbed the manual and read it in a matter of seconds, just as the Slab broke down the door.

The Doctor yelled, "Now!" and Violet slammed down a big, yellow button. The Slab was zapped by the radiation, and fell to the floor, dead.

"What did you do?" Martha let out a breath.

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead." He stated.

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" She panicked a little as Violet went out.

"It's only radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery." Violet told her lightly. "It's safe for you to come out, he's absorbed it all. Now he's going to make a fuss about expelling it." She grinned and watched him, highly amused.

"If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..." He shook his foot. "Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah, hold on." He threw his shoe into a nearby bin. "Done."

"You're completely mad." Martha looked at him in utter disbelief.

"You're right. I look daft with one shoe." He took off the other and threw it way too. "Barefoot on the moon!"

She shook her head and went to the Slab, "So what is that thing? And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?"

"It's just a Slab. They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through." He explained.

"Someone has got one hell of a fetish." Violet commented, still very entertained.

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan. It was working for her. Just like a servant." She realised as the Doctor took the remains of his completely fried sonic screwdriver out of the X-Ray machine.

"My sonic screwdriver." He looked at it, actually sad.

"She was one of the patients, but-"

"My sonic screwdriver!" He exclaimed.

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I loved my sonic screwdriver!"

Violet laughed. "I'll make you a new one later, okay?"

"Doctor!" Martha called, annoyed.

"Sorry." He tossed his sonice away and smiled. "You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyway!" She said, exasperated. "Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless - no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes!" The Doctor had a debate with himself, and Violet ignored him.

"She's an internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it." She explained.

The Doctor added, "If she can assimilate Mr Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!" He and Violet ran out of the room, leaving Martha to follow.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs." The Doctor said quietly as they hid behind a water-cooler, watching the other Slab step out of a room.

"What about you?" Martha asked quietly.

"What about me what?"

"Are you two partners or something?" She motioned at him and Violet.

"Uh. Humans." He scoffed. "We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on." The Doctor stood up, Violet following swiftly.

"I like that. 'Humans.' I'm still not convinced you're aliens." Martha told them as she stood up as well.

They stepped right in front of three Judoons, both of which scanned The Doctor and Violet.

"Non-human." They both confirmed.

Martha gasped. "Oh my God, you really are!"

"And again!" They set off running, going upstairs, where people were sitting on the floor, gasping for air.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky." The two Time Lords went ahead, but turned around when they heard Martha talk to another medical student.

"How are you feeling? Are you all right?" The Doctor asked her, looking concerned.

"I'm running on adrenaline." She smiled.

"Welcome to our world." He turned to Violet who just nodded.

"What about the Judoon?" Martha asked.

"Ah, great big lung reserves, it won't slow them down." He looked around. "Where's Mr Stoker's office?"

"It's this way."

They entered Mr Stoker's office, but only found the man's body. "She's gone! She was here."

Violet examined the body. "Drained him dry. Every last drop. She's a plasmavore."

"What was she doing on Earth?" She asked, horrified.

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on."

"Just a sec." Violet closed Mr Stoker's eyes before following.

The Doctor was ranting, "Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?"

Violet pointed and an MRI sign.

"Aah. She's as clever as me. Almost." He praised, and Violet slapped him.

"Cocky." She stated.

"Find the non-human. Execute." They heard the Judoon's voices, followed by various screams.

The Doctor grabbed Martha's shoulders."Stay here. We need time. You're going to have to hold them up."

"How do I do that?" She asked, confused.

"Martha, forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing." He apologised in advance, then kissed her before running off with Violet.

"That was nothing?" Violet heard faintly, and laughed.

"You're in trouble now." She told the Doctor.

They went to MRI, and Violet opened the door, barging in.

"Oh my god! Have you seen those huge space rhinos? And I mean huge. And we're on the moon! Am I deluded? I was only here because of my husband," She pointed at the Doctor. "but maybe I should get myself checked over. Maybe it's oxygen starvation." She rambled at Ms Finnigan.

"Hold them!" The plasmavore ordered, and the Slab took hold of her and the Doctor, who had followed her in.

"That thing, that big machine thing, is it supposed to be making that noise?" The Doctor gestured at the MRI.

"You wouldn't understand." She dismissed.

"Isn't that a magnetic resonance imaging thing? Like a ginormous sort of a magnet? I did magnets at GCSE. Well, I failed, but all the same." He rambled on.

"The magnetic setting is now set to 50,000 Tesla." Mrs Finnigan told them, smug.

"Ooh. That's a bit strong, isn't it?"

"I can send out a magnetic pulse that will fry the brain-stems of every living thing within 250,000 miles. Except me, safe in this room." She smiled.

"But... hold on, hold on, I did geography for GCSE- I actually passed, unlike my husband- doesn't that distance include Earth?" Violet asked.

"Only the side facing the moon. The other half will survive. Call it my little gift."

"I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me, I'm a little out of my depth. I've spent the past fifteen years working as a postman- hence the bunions- why would you do that?" The Doctor asked in fake confusion.

"With everyone dead, the Judoon ships will be mine, to make my escape." She said lightly.

"Now, that's weird. You're talking like you're some sort of an alien." Violet gasped.

"Right-o."

"No!"

"Oh, yes."

"You're joshing me!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"I am not." She smiled, obviously taking satisfaction in his surprise.

"I'm talking to an alien? In hospital? What, has the place got an ET department?" He joked.

"It's the perfect hiding place. Blood banks downstairs for a midnight feast, and all this equipment I'm ready to arm myself with should the police come looking." She shared with them.

"So, those rhinos, they're looking for you?" Violet questioned.

"Yes." She held up her hand. "But I'm hidden."

"Oh. Right! Maybe that's why they're increasing their scans." The Doctor lied, and Violet understood what he was trying to do.

"They're doing what?" Florence shrieked.

"Big chief rhino boy, he said, no sign of a non-human, we must increase our scans... up to setting two?" He pretended to recall.

"Then I must assimilate again." She said.

"What does that mean?" Violet scrunched up her face.

"I must appear to be human."

Violet smiled innocently. "Well, you're welcome to come home with us. Meet the little boy. Only a year old, my ma's taking care of him, bless. She'd be honoured. We can have cake. She makes brilliant cake."

"Why should I have cake? I've got my little straw." The plasmavore pulled a bendy straw out of her purse and walked up the the Doctor.

"That's nice. Milkshake? I like banana." The Doctor told her.

"You're quite the funny man. And yet, I think, laughing on purpose at the darkness. I think it's time you found some peace. Steady him!" She ordered. The Slab let go of Violet to hold the Doctor.

"What are you doing?" He looked down at the straw.

"I'm afraid this is going to hurt. But if it's any consolation, the dead don't tend to remember." She smiled.

Violet gasped. "You're going to kill him? You can't! I'm only 21, I don't want to be a widow!" She watched as Florence drank the Doctor's blood, his skin paling considerably. The Judoon entered suddenly, and Violet winced as she dropped him to the ground rather unelegantly. She ran to his side.

"You better wake up." She murmured. She listened to his hearts, but there was nothing. "No, no, no. You have to."

The Judoon dealt with the plasmavore as Violet started performing CPR on both of the Doctor's hearts. She heard the Judoon retreat and Martha panik as she looked at the MRI.

"Martha, pull out the plug." Violet told her. Martha did so, and Violet gave the Doctor her last breath as the air got thin. She collapsed just as he woke up and started to cough. He sat up, looking at Violet in concern, not even noticing Martha, who was leaning against a wall. The Doctor picked Violet up gently and carried her out, the medical student staggering out after her.

They walked to a window.

"Come on, come on, come on. Come on, Judoon, reverse it." The Doctor muttered. As it started to rain, he smiled down at the girl in his arms. "It's raining on the moon, Violet."

Martha was left alone outside of the pub, looking distressed, as she spotted the Doctor and Violet. She smiled and walked towards them as they turned around a corner.

She found them leaning against the TARDIS. "I went to the moon today." She said, smiling.

"A bit more peaceful than down here." Violet commented. "Uhm, I'll be back in a minute." She added as something caught her attention.

She walked onto the middle of the street. For a moment, she just stood there, observing, before she jumped out of the way as a car came. But she had heard something. She had heard drums.

Violet shook her head and went back to the TARDIS, seeing that Martha and the Doctor were already inside.

"So, where are you taking me?" Martha asked excitedly.

"Well, first of all, you look like you're about to pass out. So, we're gonna find you a room." Violet smiled.

After Violet had given Martha something to sleep in, she looked for the Doctor and found him in the control room. She leant against the doorway and watched him. He looked unusual with out his suit jacket and tie. After a while, he noticed her presence.

"You should get some sleep." She told him.

"I'm fine." He denied. "Just need a bit of coffee, that's all."

She sighed. "You had your blood sucked out of you. You need a little more than coffee, Theta."

"I know, I know. I'm no use to the universe if I'm sleep-deprived." He joked bitterly.

"You don't need to carry the weight of the universe alone, you know." Violet called after him as he stood up and walked to his room.

It was a few hours later when the TARDIS told her that the Doctor was having nightmares again. She, as always, rushed to his room.

"Theta!" She shook him gently. He was shaking, beads of sweat on his face. He woke up and whimpered when he saw Violet.

"Damnit, I'm sorry." He apologised. Violet shook her head and stroked some hair out of his face.

"It's okay. You're okay." She whispered. "Go back to sleep."

"You don't have to stay." He told her.

She smiled softly. "But I will. Sleep, Theta."

He closed his eyes and Violet sat down in the chair she had spent a lot of nights in. She tucked her legs under her body and started humming a Gallifreyan lullaby, watching the Doctor's chest rise and fall. Once his breathing slowed, she picked up one of the books lying around and started reading at a human pace, still humming softly.


	9. The Shakespeare Code

The TARDIS was rattling violently as the Doctor was flying her, Violet and Martha watching- the latter in amazement, the former in amusement.

"Honestly, Doctor, it isn't that hard to remember to take off the brakes!" Violet laughed and flipped a switch, smoothing out the TARDIS' flight considerably. The Doctor grimaced at her, making the girl laugh even harder.

Martha, who was gripping onto the console tightly, was curious. "But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?" She questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does." He spun a small wheel. "Hold on tight!"

He put one of his Converse-clad feet on the console as the TARDIS shook, but Violet pushed it off before working the controls herself, stopping the shaking.

Martha had fallen to the ground during flight, but got back up. "Blimey, do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes-" The Doctor started, but Violet cut him off.

"He failed. Twice."

"It wasn't my fault!" He defended himself poorly, but Violet just raised her eyebrows. The Doctor sighed and turned to Martha in defeat.

"I failed. Now, make the most of this. I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door," He leant against it. "Brave new world."

"Where are we?" Martha grabbed her jacket excitedly.

"Take a look." He opened the door. "After you." Martha stepped outside, and the Doctor and Violet joined her seconds later.

They were in the middle of an Elizabethan street. It was night time and the street was lit by torches and moonlight. People were milling about, doing their business, trading and chatting leisurely.

"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we?" Martha looked about in astonishment before correcting herself. "No, sorry. I gotta get used to this- whole new language. When are we?"

The Doctor looked up to see a man with a bucket standing in a window and pulled Violet and Martha back, just before the man shouted, "Mind the loo!" and emptied the rather unpleasant containings onto the street.

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that." He grimaced.

"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift at A&E." Martha waved it off, too amazed to be disgusted.

Violet and the Doctor went to go down the street, but Martha stopped them. "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?" They looked at her in confusion.

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly- you change the future of the human race." She exaggerated.

Violet looked at her, amused. "Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies."

"What have butterflies ever done to you?" The Doctor agreed before they continued walking, Martha lagging behind slightly.

"What if- I dunno- what if I kill my grandfather?"

"You planning to?"

"No."

"Well, then."

Martha looked around in disbelief. "This is London."

"I think so. Right about 1599." The Doctor deducted from his surroundings.

"Oh, but hold on. Am I all right?" Martha asked, worried. "I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

"Why would they do that?" He frowned.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed." She held up her hand to the oblivous man.

"We're not even human." Violet countered. "Just walk about like you own the place. Works for us. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England- not so different from your time."

The Doctor pointed at a man shovelling manure. "They've got recycling."

"Water cooler moment." Violet gestured to two men chatting by a water barrel as they walked past a man preaching about the end of the world.

"Global warming." The Doctor said.

"I was gonna say 'the apocalypse', but that works." Violet grinned. "But- the one thing London was known for in the late 1590s was the entertainment. We're just down the river by Southwark- right next to," She ran ahead a little. "The legendary Globe Theatre!" It stood proudly before them.

"Brand new. Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe, it's a tetradecagon- 14 sides- containing the man himself." The Doctor continued.

"Whoa, you don't mean..." She looked at the building in disbelief. "Is Shakespeare in there?" She squeaked.

"Oh, yes." He held out his arms. "Miss Jones, Violet- will you accompany me to the theatre?"

Martha enthusiastically linked her arm through his. "Yes, I will, Mr Smith!" He grinned and looked at Violet, who just smiled.

"Oh, go on then." She let the Doctor drag her off.

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare." He told Matha.

"Then I could get sectioned!"

The trio were in the crowd of the Globe Theatre, watching the actors taking their bows while they cheered and applauded.

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell." Martha was clapping wildly. "And those are men dressed as women, yeah?"

"London never changes." The Doctor stated jokingly, earning him a nudge from Violet.

"Where's Shakespeare? I wanna see Shakespeare!" Martha put her fist in the air and started chanting, "Author! Author!" but cut off quickly when the Time Lords looked at her.

"Do people shout that? Do they shout "Author"?" She asked. A man behind her picked up the chant, and soon the whole crown was shouting 'Author'.

"Well..." The Doctor looked around. "They do now."

As requested, Shakespeare came onto the stage, took a bow and blew kisses as the audience went wild. The Doctor's face lit up, making Violet smile.

"He's a bit different from his portraits." Martha commented, but cheered nonetheless.

"Genius. He's a genius- THE genius. The most human human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words." The Doctor rambled, excited.

Suddenly, Shakespeare shouted, "Shut your big fat mouths!" and the crowd laughed, but the Doctor's smile dimmed considerably.

"Oh, well." He said, dissapointed.

"Never meet your heroes." Violet laughed.

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that." Shakespeare pointed to a man in the audience. "Oh, that's a wig!"

He waited for the crowd to stop laughing before continuing. "I know what you're all saying. 'Loves Labour's Lost'- that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in good time. You don't rush a genius." He bowed again, but jerked upright suddenly.

"When? Tomorrow night." The crowd cheered again, but the cast looked stunned. "The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it 'Loves Labour's Won'!"

The Doctor and Violet exchanged looks.

As they left the theatre, Martha commented,

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Loves Labour's Won'."

"Exactly- the lost play. It doesn't exist- only in rumours." The Doctor said while shuffling with the crowd. "It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why."

"Have you got a mini-disk or something? We could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint." Martha suggested.

"No." He said simply.

"That would be bad." She nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah."

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?" Martha wondered.

"Well, I was just gonna give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS-" The Doctor started, but Violet turned around from where she was walking in front of them.

"Oh, come on, let's go discover the mystery of Shakespeare's lost play. You know you want to." She grinned with and adventurous glint in her eye.

The Doctor looked at her and sighed, defeated. "I suppose we could stay a bit longer." Violet beamed, and Martha gaped at how easily she was able to change his mind, especially because the Doctor didn't seem like one to change his mind for others.

They walked to a building named 'The Elephant Inn' where Shakespeare was staying. They were let through due to the Doctor's psychic paper, and he knocked on an open door, which revealed William Shakespeare, sitting and drinking beer with two of his cast members.

"Hello! Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I?" He beamed. "Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

"Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me." The man put his head in his hands. "And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove-" He paused his rant as he saw Martha stepping out from behind the Doctor.

"Hey, nonny nonny. Sit right down here next to me." He said, before turning to the two men. "You two get sewing on them costumes. Off you go." He dismissed them.

A woman escorted them out, "Come on, lads. I think our William's found his new muse."

"Sweet lady." William said as Martha sat down. "Such unusual clothes. So... fitted."

"Um, verily, forsooth, egads." Martha tried.

"No, no, don't do that. Don't." The Doctor shook his head as he sat down and held out his psychic paper. "I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and this is my companion, Miss Violet Stewart, and our visitor, Miss Martha Jones."

Shakespeare frowned. "Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank."

Violet beamed. "Oh, I just love you. Absolutely brilliant."

"I'm honoured, beautiful lady." William gave her a grin.

Martha was occupied with the psychic paper. "But it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Martha Jones, Violet Stewart. It says so."

"And I say it's blank." William winked at Violet.

"Psychic paper. Um, long story." The Doctor was going to explain, but thought better of it. "Oh, I hate starting from scratch." He complained.

"Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoore lady and that fair young maiden?" The most famous writer in history gestured to Martha and Violet.

"What did you say?" Martha laughed, astounded.

"Oops. Isn't that a word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afrique..." He listed.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this." She gaped.

"It's political correctness gone mad." The Doctor rubbed his face. "Um, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia." He made up poorly.

'Freedonia?' Violet mouthed, trying to stop herself from laughing before she turned to William. "And I'm just a traveller."

He went to say something, but a rather pompous man entered the room.

"Excuse me!" He boomed. "Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

William sighed. "Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round."

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine." The man held out his hand. "The script, now!" He demanded.

"I can't."

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled."

"It's all go 'round here, isn't it?" Martha commented sarcastically.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Love's Labours Won' will never be played." He exited the room as swiftly as he could with his more-than-well-fed figure.

Martha took a sip of beer. "Well, then- mystery solved. That's 'Love's Labours Won' over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know... more mysterious."

Just then, they heard screaming. Violet was the first to jump up, swiftly followed by the Doctor, Martha and Shakespeare.

They rushed outside onto the street to find Lynley spitting up water.

"It's that Lynley bloke." Martha breathed.

"What's wrong with him?" The Doctor frowned. "Leave it to me- I'm a doctor." He ran to Lynley's side with Violet.

"So am I– near enough." Martha joined them. They helped the man stand as he water continued coming from his mouth. He had his hands at his throat like he was suffocating, until- suddenly- he fell to the ground, dead.

Martha listened for his heart. "Gotta get the heart going. Mr Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be all right." She went for mouth-to-mouth, but as she opened his, water gushed out again.

"What the hell is that?" Martha looked up at the Doctor. He knelt down next to her,

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water- he drowned and then... I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow." He turned to the woman, presumably the inn-keeper. "Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

"Yes, sir." She said as the Doctor went back to the body.

"And why are you telling them that?" Martha asked him quietly.

"This lot have still got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft." The Doctor explained in the same tone.

"Okay, what was it then?"

"Witchcraft."

"I got you a room, Sir Doctor. We only had one left, so I'm afraid you, Miss Stewart and Miss Jones will have to share it." The inn-keeper announced as the Doctor, Martha, Violet and Shakespeare went back into the Inn.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events." Shakespeare sympathised. "Not least of all, this land of Freedonia where a woman can be a doctor?"

Martha smiled, "Where a woman can do what she likes."

"And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

The Doctor looked at him solemnly, "I do a lot of reading."

"Lastly, Miss Stewart. Such a beautiful young lady filled with so much regret."

Violet looked down and cleared her throat. "Life isn't defined by time, but by events, William. Some worse than others."

"Quite right you are." The man turned back to Martha. "And you, you look at him like you're surprised he exists and at her as if you wished she didn't."

Martha looked at him in surprise, "I think we should say good night."

"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours." Shakespeare promised.

"All the world's a stage." The Doctor mused before leaving. That left only Violet and William.

"She wishes I doesn't exist?" Violet asked, frowning.

"Love and envy come hand in hand, do they not?" He retorted wisely.

"Perhaps... Goodnight, William."

She closed the door behind her and joined Martha and the Doctor in their room. Martha was examining it as the Time Lords watched.

"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" She commented.

"Oh, it'll do. I've seen worse." The Doctor said lightly.

Martha complained. "I haven't even got a toothbrush."

"Ooh." He patted his pockets before pulling a brand-new toothbrush out of it. "Contains Venusian spearmint." He handed it to her.

"So, who's going where? I mean, there's only one bed." Martha laughed.

"We'll manage. C'mon." He flopped onto the bed. Violet sat down on the bench beneath the window and leant against it, watching the two of them interact.

"So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter'." Martha said conversationally.

"Wait till you read Book Seven. Oh, I cried." He fawned, and Violet laughed a little.

"But is it real, though?" Martha asked excitedly. "I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?"

"'Course it isn't!" The Doctor denied.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break." She laughed, but was a little annoyed.

"Looks like witchcraft, but it isn't. Can't be." He looked at Martha. "Are you gonna stand there all night?"

She looked over at Violet, who had shifted her attention to the window, and sat down on the bed. "Budge up a bit, then."

The Doctor moved over.

"Sorry, there's not much room. Us two here, same bed. Tongues will wag." She joked suggestively, but the Doctor was oblivous.

"There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that. Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that."

He turned so that he was facing Martha, "No. There's something I'm missing, Martha." She looked at Violet again, expecting some kin of reaction, but when there was none, she faced the Doctor as well.

"Something really close, staring me right in the face and I can't see it. Rose would know. A friend of mine, Rose. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing." He turned onto his back again, breaking what Martha thought was an intimate moment. "Still, can't be helped. You're a novice, never mind. I'll take you back home tomorrow." He told her nonchalantly.

Martha looked at him, miffed. "Great!" She said sarcastically and blew out the candle on the bedside table, turning her back on him.

Martha was sleeping while the Doctor and Violet sat on the bench underneath the windowsill, waiting for morning to come.

Violet leant her head on the Doctor's arm. "I miss home." She said quietly.

He looked down at her. "You mean the parallel world?"

"No, home. Gallifrey." She sighed.

"I'm sorry. I messed that one up, didn't I?" He said regrettfully.

"I told you. It wasn't your fault. Our people turned corrupt and you stopped them. You brought an end to the destruction. You just had to pay the price." She took his hand and slipped her own into it, looking at how they intertwined.

The Doctor was stunned by that action. "I never thought to ask- how did you end up on Earth?" He changed the topic.

"I was hiding."

"From who?"

"The Universe." She let go of his hand and started fiddling with her bracelet. "I'm the enemy. I've done some terrible things during the Time War- I mean, really bad things- and when I saw that, I ran. I went to Earth, but my TARDIS was taken away from me. I was stranded, and when the Time War ended... I was lost."

"The Daleks called you 'the Unnamed'." He stated and noticed Violet wince.

"I'm not 'the Unnamed', they just refuse to say my actual name. They were so scared of me, of what I've done. The Daleks." Her voice wavered as she forced herself not to cry.

"Tell me." The Doctor said gently. Violet didn't respond, so he made her look at him. "Who are you?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" When he nodded, she took a deep breath.

"I was coming to the end of my studies when the Time War began. I was smart- I was one of the people inspired by the Untempered Schism. A group of students were chosen to build weapons, me included. We were the Cult of Skaro of the Time Lords." She laughed bitterly. "We were supposed to kill, but I made the Genesis Ark. I didn't want to commit genocide back then. But they saw something- and corrupted me. They forced me into a meta-crisis and gave me a little bit of human imagination, they changed my biology. They extended my telepathy just a bit further and changed the way I regenerated... everything." She wiped a lone tear from her face. "They took it all away from me." She whispered with such a deep pain in her voice that tears welled up in the Doctor's eyes as he embraced her tightly.

"I'm so sorry." He said sincerely.

Violet shook her head. "They manipulated me into killing- made me bring down whole galaxies. I was dubbed 'the Destroyer of All'. And near the end of the Time War, I had billions of lives on my conscience. I travelled through the universe and saw people cower under my gaze. I snapped. I was going to end the Time War- I was going to do exactly what you did. Except that Rassilon found out. He was going to have me killed, and that's when I started running." She finished and looked up at the Doctor, who looked at Violet with intense sympathy.

"I'm sorry." He repeated in a whisper.

She smiled sadly. "You don't have to be. It's over, Theta."

"Yeah. Sorry."

Violet laughed quietly, not wanting to wake Martha. "Stop apologising!"

"Sorry." He said again, before smiling sheepishly.

"You're hopeless." She returned his smile.

He went to say something, but they heard a woman's scream. They both ran to help, the loud voice waking Martha up as well.

When they entered Shakespeare's room, William woke up from where he was sleeping at his desk, quil still in his hand.

"What? What was that?" He slurred a little, not quite awake yet. Violet and the Doctor examined the inn-keeper, who was lying on the floor.

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright." The Doctor stated, confused. Martha called him over to the window.

"What was her name?" Violet asked William.

"Uhm... Dolly. Her name was Dolly Bailey." He said remorsefully.

The Doctor turned back back around just in time to see Violet close the corpse's eyes and whisper, "I'm so sorry, Dolly Bailey."

When morning came, the Time Lords, Martha and Shakespeare were talking at William's desk.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit." He told them.

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light.'" The Doctor quoted.

"I might use that." Shakespeare thought.

"You can't. It's someone else's." Violet told the man.

"But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you." Martha thought out loud.

"You're accusing me?" William raised his eyebrows.

"No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches." Martha said.

"I have? When was that?"

Violet cleared her throat. "Not, not quite yet." She said lowly.

"Peter Streete spoke of witches." William spoke up.

"Who's Peter Streete?" Martha asked.

"He's the architect. But..." Violet paused. "Oh, that's brilliant! We need to get to the Globe. Now!" Violet grinned, running outside already.

Since the Inn was only a little distance away, they made it there quickly. William let them in and got up on the stage. He hoisted Martha up as well, but the two Time Lords stayed in the pit.

"The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked... tell me, Will, why 14 sides?" The Doctor looked up at Will.

"It was the shape Peter Streete thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well." William said, exasperated.

"Why does that ring a bell? 14…" The Doctor thought.

"There are 14 lines in a sonnet." Martha suggested.

"So there is. Good point. Words and shapes following the same design." He started pacing. "14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets…Oh, my head. Tetradecagon... think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

"This is just a theatre." Shakespeare commented.

"Oh, but a theatre's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis a the right time... Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..." The Doctor started.

"Why don't we go to the man himself?" Violet turned to William. "Where can we find the good Peter Streete?"

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place... lost his mind." He told her.

"Why? What happened?" Martha asked.

"Started raving about witches, hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."

"Where's he now?" Violet questioned.

"Bedlam." He said, making her wince.

Marth frowned. "What's Bedlam?"

"Bethlem Hospital. The madhouse."

"We're gonna go there. Right now." The Doctor reached out for Violet's hand. "Come on."

They made their way onto the street, Martha and William conversing behind them.

The Doctor scoffed. "Humans." He turned back. "Come on. We can all have a good flirt later." He called.

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Will retorted smoothly.

Violet laughed. "Oh... 57 academics just punched the air. Now move!"

Bedlam was gruesome. People were screaming and moaning as the Doctor, Violet, Martha and William were lead through the halls.

The jailer, with a whip in his hand turned to the Doctor, "Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip these madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!"

"No, I don't!"

"Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the ladies." The jailer walked off, whipping someone's fingers as he passed them.

Martha frowned. "So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?"

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia." Shakespeare said sarcastically.

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?" Martha exclaimed.

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose." He said solemnly.

"Mad in what way?"

"You lost your son." The Doctor said softly.

Will nodded. "My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry." Martha apologised.

"It made me question everything. The futility of this fleeting existence. To be or not to be..." He paused. "Oh, that's quite good."

"You should write that down." Violet remarked.

"Hm, maybe not. A bit pretentious?" William asked.

"Meh."

The jailer called from down the hallway. "This way, m'lord!"

They walked down to him, Violet looking at all the people in the cells. They were starved and bruised, whip marks on their skin. She winced when she saw a child, alone and crying.

"They can be dangerous, m'lord. Don't know their own strength." The jailer told them while unlocking the door.

"I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" The Doctor hissed.

"Someone needs to put them in their place. Greedy pests, these are." He smirked.

In one swift movement, Violet grabbed him by the collar. "I suggest you get yourself and your whip out of my sight before I lose my patience." She growled lowly. The man nodded frightfully and scurried away, Violet staring after him disgustedly.

"Peter? Peter Streete?" The Doctor asked.

"He's the same as he was. You'll get nothing out of him." William told him.

Violet moved over to him and placed a hand on Peter's shoudler. "Peter?" She said softly. His head jerked up and revealed his eyes, glassy and wild. He looked as if he wanted to speak but had a storng stutter on him.

She put her fingers on his temples. "Hello Peter, I'm Violet. Do remember what happened a year ago? That wasn't you. It didn't happen to you, it happened to someone else. It was just a story, a children's story. You're fine, you're home with your wife and son. And you're going to tell them that story, okay? There we go. It's only a story."

She laid Peter down on his cot gently.

"Tell your family the story, Peter. Tell them about the witches." She stood back up.

"Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. THEIR design! The 14 walls- always 14. When the work was done," He laughed. "They snapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city?" Violet crouched down next to Peter again and put a hand on his cheek. "Come on, it's okay. It's only a story. Where did Peter see the witches?" She spoke softly.

"All Hallows Street." He told them.

"Too many words." A new voice spoke from beside Violet. She looked and saw someone who looked very much like a witch. A crooked nose, pointed teeth and straw-like hair.

She jumped up and went to stand beside the Doctor.

"What the hell?" Martha gasped.

The 'witch' laid her hand on Peter's chest. "Just one touch of the heart."

"No!" The Doctor shouted as Peter died with a cry.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" William exclaimed in disbelief.

"Who would be next, hmm? Just one touch." The witch stretched out. "Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

Martha ran to the cell gates and started rattling them. "Let us out! Let us out!" She yelled.

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that." The Doctor told her.

"Who will die first, hmm?" The witch smiled.

"Oh, alright then, I'll have a go. Since you're asking." Violet stepped forward.

William panicked, "Can you stop her?"

"No mortal has power over me."

"Et cetera. I just need the right words." Violet smiled intimidatingly.

"None on Earth has knowledge of us."

"Well, as I said- et cetera. Because I know now that you wanted a building with 14 sides. A theatre. And what's spoken in theatres? Hm?" She raised an eyebrow. "Words. You just love those. So!" She paused for a second, smirking. "I name thee Carrionite!"

The Carrionite wailed loudly and disappeared in a bright light.

Violet turned around, still smirking. "The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration. I'm very good at brainstorming under pressure."

"What did she do?" Martha asked the Doctor.

"She named her. The power of a name. That's old magic." He told her.

"But there's no such thing as magic." She denied.

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead." He explained.

"Use them for what?" William questioned.

Violet grimaced, "The end of the world."

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend." They had gone back to the Inn and were discussing in William's room.

"You never did pay attention in the history classes. The Carrionite developed word-based science and went to war with... others. When it was threatening the structure of the universe, the Eternals actually did something useful for once and banished them into the 'Deep Darkness'." Violet corrected the Doctor.

"I can't know everything, can I?" He defended himself half-heartedly, smiling.

"Well, you're a genius to me." Martha grinned at him and Violet raised her eyebrows at him, grinning.

William cleared his throat. "I'm going for real, then."

"But what do they want?" Martha got back to the task on hand.

"A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft." He spat.

"But how?"

"I'm looking at the man with the words." He pointed as Shakespeare.

"Me? But I've done nothing." He denied.

"Hold on, though. What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?" Martha interrogated.

"Finishing the play."

"What happens on the last page?" The Doctor asked.

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought-provoking as usual- except those last few lines. Funny thing is... I don't actually remember writing them." He screwed his face up.

"That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won'- it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing!" He shouted, gathering his thoughts. "And yes, you can have that." He told him as he grabbed a map.

"All Hallows Street." He pointed at it. "There it is. We'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"

"I'll do it." He sadi firmly an shook the Doctor's hand. "All these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you two," He gestured at him and Violet. "I know nothing."

"Oh, don't complain." Martha grinned.

"I'm not. It's marvellous. Good luck, Doctor."

"Good luck, Shakespeare." They headed for the door.

"Once more unto the breach!" Violet quoted.

I like that. Wait a minute- that's one of mine." William realised.

"Oh, just shift!" She called, already running outside.

All Hallows Street was only the next street, but they stood in the middle of it, confused.

"All Hallows Street, but which house?" The Doctor looked around.

"The thing is, though... Am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me- I'm living proof." Martha said.

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know! 'Back to the Future'! It's like 'Back to the Future'!" He metaphorised.

"The film?"

"No, the novelisation." He retorted sarcastically. "Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading away." She nodded. "Oh my God, am I gonna fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it." He told her. "But which house?"

A door opened by itself.

"Correction: WITCH house?" Violet joked and stepped inside. They find a young woman that Violet recognised as a maid from the Inn waiting for them.

"I take it we're expected." Violet said lightly, pushing a curtain out of her way.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time." The woman smirked.

"Right then, it's my turn." Martha stepped forward. "I know how to do this. I name thee, Carrionite!" She pointed at her, but the Carrionite was unaffected.

"What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?" Martha looked back at the Doctor.

"The power of a name works only once. Observe." The woman pointed at Martha. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones." Martha collapsed just in time for the Doctor to catch her and lower her to the ground.

"What have you done?" He shouted.

"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" She pointed at him, but nothing happened, so she turned to Violet. "And you, Violet Stewart!" Again, nothing happened.

"Fascinating. There is no name. Why would two people hide their titles in such despair? Oh, but look. There are still words with a power that aches."

"The naming won't work on me." The Doctor stood up.

"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant... Rose." The young woman provoked him.

"And you," The Carrionite looked at Violet. "There may not be a name, but you were so alone, weren't you? So many years, you waited. In the dark, trapped on a single planet. So alone with so much regret in your heart. So many lives..." She trailed off, smirking again.

"Wrong words. I do have some for you, though. You were trapped, too. You went to war with the Hervoken at the dawn of the Universe, and the Eternals trapped you. Sent you into the Deep Darkness. Was it fun? Because I may have waited a long time, but you waited so much longer." Violet grinned when the Carrionite's face fell.

"Tell me- because I'm a curious mind. How did you escape?"

"New words. New and glittering, from a mind like no other." She teased.

"Shakespeare." The Doctor breathed.

"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance." She told them.

"How many of you?"

"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic." She preached.

"Hmm... busy schedule." He scratched his ear and stepped forward. "But first you gotta get past me."

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape." She said seductively, running a hand through his hair.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me." The Doctor gazed down at her.

"Oh, we'll see." She said lightly. There was a snip to be heard and the Carrionite backed away.

"What did you do?" He touched his hair.

"Souvenir." She smiled.

"Well, give it back!" He shouted. The woman threw up her arms, opening the window behind her and flying through it, floating in mid-air.

"Well, that's just cheating." The Doctor commented as Martha slowly woke up.

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." She pulled a doll from her dress and wrapped his hair around it.

"Now, you might call that magic- I'd call that a DNA replication module." He stated.

"What use is your science now?" She stabbed the doll in the chest, and he fell to the ground with a cry, clutching one of his hearts. Violet rushed over to him.

"Oh, Theta. You stupid man." She sighed, smiling a little. He tried to get up, but fell back to the floor.

"This might hurt a little, sorry." Violet hit the Doctor on the back, hard, just as Martha woke up fully and got up.

"Thanks." He breathed. The other Time Lord grinned and grabbed his hand, seeing that Martha was awake.

"No time to waste. Off to the Globe!" They laughed as they ran, Martha lagging behind slightly.

"We're going the wrong way!" Martha shouted as the Doctor headed in a completely different direction.

"No, we're not!"

Violet sighed, "Stop being stubborn and come back, will you? Fate of the world and all, you know?"

"Sorry!" He grinned and turned back, heading in the right direction.

As they ran down the streets, they heard screaming and saw a red glow pouring from the Globe.

"Stage doors!" The Doctor shouted, heading off again. They burst in backstage and saw Shakespeare nursing his head.

"Stop the play..." He paused. "I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'Stop the play'!"

"I hit my head." William defended himself.

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald." He advised as they heard screams out front. "I think that's our cue!"

The Doctor took Violet's hand and pulled her outside, William and Martha following.

"Come on, Will! History needs you!" The Doctor grabbed him.

"But what can I do?" He exclaimed.

"Reverse it!"

"How am I supposed to do that?" He asked.

"You're a genius, William. You can reverse it with your words!" Violet told him.

"But what words? I have none ready!"

"You're William Shakespeare!" The Doctor yelled.

"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!" He complained.

"So do yours! Yours words are perfect. When you write, they just spill onto the paper, don't they? Ordinary words in an order that makes them brilliant! You can do that, and you can do this, too. Improvise!" Violet shouted over the cackling of the Carrionite.

"Close up this den of hateful, dire decay!

Decomposition of your witches' plot!

You thieve my brains, consider me your toy.

My doting Doctor tells me I am not!

Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show!

Between the points 7-6-1-3-9-0!

And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..."

He looked at the Doctor in a loss for words, and he looked at Violet.

She grinned, "Expelliarmus!"

"Expelliarmus!" The Doctor repeated.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Good old JK!"

The Carrionite screamed as they were comsumed by the Deep Darkness once again. The stage door opened, and all copies of the play also get sucked up into the cloud above the Globe in a tornado-like fashion.

When the screaming ceased and the cloud dissipated, the audience slowly started clapping. The cast and Martha took bows as the Doctor ducked from the stage.

"I think we've done our work here." Violet smiled contently as she observed the people on the streets.

"Off to the TARDIS?" The Doctor suggested.

Violet nodded, "Off to the TARDIS. Just a quick stop in the prop house, first."

The Time Lords barged into the Globe one last time.

"Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though." The Doctor held up a skull to Violet. "Reminds me of a Sycorax."

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well." William smiled.

"I should be on 10%. How's your head?" The Doctor asked.

"Still aching."

"Try this." Violet took of the collar the Doctor was wearing and put it around Will's neck. "Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till it's better, although you might wanna keep it. It suits you." She smiled.

"What about the play?" Martha asked.

"Gone. I looked all over- every single copy of 'Love's Labours' Won' went up in the sky."

"My lost masterpiece." Shakespeare sighed.

"You could write it up again." Martha suggested.

"Yeah, better not, Will." Violet grimaced. "There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten."

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy- my precious Hamnet."

"Hamnet?" Martha asked in disbelief.

Will nodded. "That's him."

"Ham-NET?" She repeated.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Never mind." Violet laughed. "I think it's time we say goodbye before we change history too much."

"Yeah, it's time we take Martha back to Freedonia." The Doctor nodded.

"You mean travel on through time and space." Shakespeare said lightly.

"Brilliant man." Violet hugged him as the Doctor gaped.

"What?"

"You two are from another world like the Carrionites and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out."

"That's... incredible. You are incredible." The Doctor praised.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Violet gave the Doctor a look.

"Martha is the inspiration for one of Will's most famouse pieces? I'm jealous." She grinned.

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!" A cast member shouted, excitedly.

Another came in, "We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again."

"Who?" Martha asked.

"Her Majesty! She's here!"

"Queen Elizabeth I!" The Doctor exclaimed as the woman herself entered the Globe.

"Doctor!" She called, a frown upon her face.

"What?"

"My sworn enemy!"

"What?"

"Off with his head!" She ordered.

"What?" The Doctor repeated for the third time.

"Oh, come on. One last time!" Violet grabbed the Doctor's hand and they ran through the streets of 1599 London, followed by the Queen's soldiers.

"What have you done to upset her?!" Martha shouted while running.

"How should I know? Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out." He opened the TARDIS. "That's something to look forward to." He entered just in time to miss an arrow. "Oh!"


	10. Gridlock

In the TARDIS, Martha and the Doctor were in the control room, her sitting on the jump-seat, him fiddling with the controls. Violet was in her room, changing.

She was just putting on a jacket when the TARDIS tuned her into the conversation Martha and the Doctor were having.

'Well, it's beautiful, yeah.'

'Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?'

'Suppose it is.'

'Great big temples and cathedrals?'

'Yeah.'

'Lots of planets in the sky?'

'The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever- slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow.'

'Can we go there?'

'Nah! Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home!'

The TARDIS cut off the conversation and Violet sighed.

"I'll talk to him." She said out loud. The machine hummed in approval as she left her room, but not before grabbing her sonic and putting it into her pocket. She walked into the control room.

"So, where are we headed?"

"Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth!" The Doctor went off into one of his rambling, one-sided conversations. "Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York. Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

He threw on his coat and stepped out into pouring rain.

"Oh, that's nice!" Martha said saracastically as she zipped up her jacket. "Time Lord version of dazzling."

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!" The Doctor headed off, pulling Violet along. The rain continued to pour down on them as the ran through a littered and abandoned street.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon." Martha commented.

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look." They walked over to a dead screen in a wall and the Doctor used his screwdriver to get it working. Once they saw static, he banged on it and a cheery looking blonde appeared on the screen.

"-and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway." She announced, and the image shifted to video of New New York. It showed the coast of a large river, sleek vehicles flying in the air above the modern city.

"Oh, that's more like it! That's the view we had last time. This must be the lower levels. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city." The Doctor tapped the screen.

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha sounded irritated, but was smiling in spite of herself.

"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city." He said enthusiastically.

"You'd enjoy anything." She commented in an admiring type of way.

"That's me. Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!" The Doctor, which is hair sticking to his face from the rain, pulled Violet from their shelter.

"When you say "last time", was that you and Rose?" Martha asked, following them.

"Um, yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah." He said lightly and Violet gave him a sad smile.

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?" Martha raised her eyebrows.

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Just... ever heard the word 'rebound'?" She pushed past him, annoyed, as a man flipped open one of the green stands on either side of the street. Around them, many others do the same, all shouting and avertising their wares.

"Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"

"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy happy!"

"Anger! Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"

"Ignore them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

The Doctor frowned, "No, thanks."

"Are they selling drugs?" Martha asked.

Violet looked around, perplexed. "I think they're selling moods."

"Same thing, isn't it?" She said spitefully as a young woman came into the alleyway. She was pale and poorly-looking, and went up to one of the stalls.

The people in the stalls started shouting again. "Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oi! Oi, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!"

"Come over here, yeah." And what can I get you, my love?" The woman in the stall said cheerily, happy for the rare business.

"I want to buy Forget." She said timidly.

The woman nodded, "I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."

"Oh, that's so sweet." Came the sympathetic reply.

"Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's two credits." The pale woman paid and turned away, a token in her hand.

Violet walked up to her. "Hi, sorry. What happened to your parents?"

"They drove off." She said.

"They might drive back." The Doctor suggested, confused.

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end." She sniffed. "I've lost them."

"You could find them, though. They can't be that far." Violet looked at the woman softly.

She gave them a sad look before looking down at the token. She sighed and stuck it to her neck, the Time Lords protesting.

"No, no, no, don't!"

They reached out to stop her, but she had already applied it. Her expression changed almost immediatedly, her sadness wiped away by a serene look.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" She smiled at them.

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway." The Doctor looked at her, raising his eyebrows.

"Are they? That's nice." She smiled again before walking off. Martha looked at the Doctor with a disbelieving face. He looked disturbed, and as he exchanged looks with Violet, worried. They watched the pale woman leave, Martha scornfully.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals." She ranted, but was suddenly cut off by two people grabbing her from behind, making her scream. The Doctor and Violet spun around quickly, but they were greeted by guns. They backed away quickly, taking a struggling Martha with them.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all." The man shouted.

"No, let her go! I'm warning you, let her go!" The Doctor yelled, desperate. "Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry." The woman repeated, almost crying, until they disappeared, slamming a large, green door behind them.

Violet ran to the door and pulled out her sonic to open it. It took a few seconds until she and the Doctor were running after the kidnappers again, hearing Martha shout. They dashed through a corridor just in time to see the vehicle holding Martha fly away.

The Doctor stalked back to the stalls and banged his fist on one of them. It flipped up quickly.

"Thought you'd come back! Do you want some happy happy?"

"Those people- who were they? Where did they take her?" He dropped the politeness.

"They've taken her to the motorway. Looked like carjackers to me. I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again. Used to be thriving in this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end."

"He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults."

"This motorway- how do I get there?" The Doctor demanded.

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it." Violet and the Doctor strode off in the direction she indicated.

"Tell you what- how 'bout some happy happy? Then you'll be smiling, my loves!" The woman called after them. Violet spun around, fuming.

"Just some advice- you can tell your friends, too. Start packing up and get out of here." She glared at them.

"Why's that then?" The woman asked, unimpressed.

"Because we're going to find our friend, and as soon as we do, we're coming back. I will personally make sure that this place closes down. One way or another." She threatened before joining the Doctor, who had already opened a large door that read 'Motorway Access."

They stepped on a platform and saw thousands of flying vehicles in orderly lines in front of them. They started coughing- the thick, dirty air getting into their lungs- and Violet nestled her face into the Doctor's coat to avoid breathing in the exhaust fumes, while he put his hand in front of his mouth.

A vehicle opened, revealing a figure in a leather jacket- scarf and pilot's glasses protecting his face.

"Hey! You daft little street struts! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!" He shouted at them, and left with no choice, they jumped into the car.

"Did you ever see the like?" The figure said while the dark-haired woman in the passenger seat handed the Doctor an oxgen mask. He took in gratefully and offered it to Violet, but she shook her head, seeing that he needed it more than she did.

"Just standing there, breathing it in!" The figure took of his goggles, cap and scarf and revealed a cat's head.

"There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Fourty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!" He exaggerated.

"Oh, you're making it up." The woman laughed.

"A fifty-foot head! Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose." He joked, making her scrunch up her face.

"Stop it. That's disgusting." She frowned.

"What? Did you never pick your nose?" He asked. The woman tapped his shoulder suddenly.

"Bran, we're moving!"

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it." He pulled a lever which looked like a hand-brake and they moved forward. Horns beeped all around them, but they didn't go far- after a couple of seconds, he drew the lever back again.

"Twenty yards! We're having a good day." He exclaimed, and Violet thought he was being sarcastic, but a look at his face showed that he was genuinely pleased.

He turned to the Doctor and Violet. "And who might you be? Very well-dressed for hitchhikers." Violet looked down and scoffed silently, seeing her skinny jeans, plain white shirt and black leather jacket.

"Thanks. Sorry, I'm the Doctor, and this is Violet." He gestured at Violet.

"Medical man! Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie." Brannigan introduced himself and his wife.

"Nice to meet you."

"And that's the rest of the family behind you." He pointed at the curtain behind them. Violet drew it back and revealed a basket of adorable kittens. She picked one up and held it to her, cooing.

"Aw, that's nice. Hello." The Doctor picked up one as well.

Violet laughed, "You were jealous!" When he looked at her, confused, and she sighed. She was referring to the 30th Olympics, when Rose was fawning over a cat. He said he didn't like cats, but she had guessed he was just jealous of the attention Rose was giving it.

"Never mind." She dismissed the topic, not wanting to make him sad again. "How old are they?" Violet asked, stroking the kitten she was holding.

"Just two months." The mother said proudly.

"Poor little souls. They've never known the ground beneath their paws." Brannigan told them before he saw the Time Lord's puzzled looks. "Children of the motorway." He added.

"What, they were born in here?" The Doctor frowned.

Valerie nodded sadly, "We couldn't stop. We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"You've been driving for two months?" Violet gaped.

"Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now." Brannigan laughed.

"I'm sorry?"

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday." He looked at his wife lovingly.

"Feels like twelve years to me." She joked, but smiled.

"Ah, sweetheart, but you're still lovely." He tickled her stomach, making her giggle. The Doctor looked at Violet, who was looking at them with a slight longing on her face. He frowned and turned back to the couple.

"Twelve years?! How far did you come? Where did you start?" He questioned, exasperated.

"Battery Park. It's five miles back." Brannigan told him lightly.

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?" The Doctor was incredulous.

Brannigan looked at Violet. "Is he always this slow?"

She grinned. "I don't know why I put up with it. Where are you from?" She then asked them.

"Never mind that, we've got to get out. Our friend is in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. We should get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor went to open the door, but Violet stopped him.

"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by." Brannigan explained for her. "You're a passenger now, Sonny Jim!" The cat joked.

"When's the next lay-by?" The Doctor asked urgently.

"Ooh..." He considered. "Six months?"

They were still sitting in the vehicle, defeated. The police had put them on hold- the police!- and even when they had found out what car Martha was in (thanks to an old married couple), they still couldn't do anything.

"We've got to go to the fast lane. Take us down." The Doctor demanded suddenly.

"Not a million years." Brannigan dismissed him.

"You've got three passengers- you've got four!" He exclaimed.

"I'm still not going."

The Doctor leaned forward. "She's alone, and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan – take us down." The Doctor pleaded desperately.

"That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there." Valerie said.

"Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?" The Doctor frowned.

"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!" She raised her voice a little, making Violet stand up from where she sat against the door.

"I think the conversation only just started, actually." She snatched the vocal transmitter from Brannigan.

"Sorry, Mrs Cassini." She adressed the old couple that had helped them. "How long have you been driving?"

"Oh, we were amongst the first. It's been twenty-three years now." She replied.

"So, tell me." She pressed. "Have you ever seen a police car?"

"I'm not sure." May said after a slight pause.

"You're a car spotter. In all those years- you would have noticed a police car. You would have seen an ambulance, some kind of rescue service- anything! Let me tell you the truth: You're going round in circles. You can tell from the lay-bys. And I'm sorry, but there's no one coming to stop the traffic jam. 24 years! Don't you think that the roads would be cleared by now? You may be all drugged up, but you're not stupid!" Violet ranted, irritated at the oblivion of the drivers.

Brannigan grabbed the transmitter back. "Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favour."

"No, I'm doing you a favour. You can't spend the rest of your life driving." She glared at them, before turning away and calming down. She knelt down and examined the floor before using her sonic to open the car's floor. She looked back up at the Doctor.

"Fancy a trip down?" She smiled mischievously, making the Doctor grin.

"How could I resist?" He took off his overcoat and threw it at Valerie. "Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"Oh, shut up." Violet shoved him playfully before lowering herself out of the hole, holding on to the edges. "Now, as you say- 'Allons-y'!" She grinned before letting go of the vehicle, falling down onto the car below them. The Doctor looked down, checking to see if she was okay before following.

"This Martha- she must mean an awful lot to you." Brannigan stated as the Doctor hung half-way out of the car.

"Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." He said thoughtfully before looking up. "Bye then!"

He let go and followed Violet into the car. She was talking to the man in it while she worked on opening the next hole.

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!" The man, completely white, complained as Violet got the hole open.

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!" The Doctor said cheerfully before following her down again.

They repeated that pattern for many layers down, until they jumped into a car where a man sat in a pin-stripe business suit.

He spun around, surprised. "'Scuse me, is that legal?" He asked.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." The Doctor started, but was coughing too hardly to finish. "Whatever. Have you got any water?"

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners." He poured some water out of a water cooler into a cone-shaped cup and handed it to the man. Violet declined as he offered her some as well.

"How are you not choking?" The Doctor asked her once he got his lungs clear again.

She frowned, "You really don't want to know."

He nodded. "Is this the last layer?" He asked the businessman.

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."

"Can we drive down?"

"I'm not going to." He shook his head.

"Okay, fine. Let's just take a look." He used his sonic to open the hatch below. There was nothing but a fog of exhause fumes below, but there was a faint growling to be heard.

"What's that noise?" He frowned.

"I try not to think about it." The man admitted.

"What are those lights? What's down there?" The Doctor continued to ask.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Violet moved to the front console. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system- get rid of some of the fumes." She pulled out her sonic and held it at some of the wires.

"You're brilliant!" The Doctor exclaimed. "How did I not think of that?"

Violet looked up for a split-second. "Just a little bit human." She muttered and finished the wiring. The three of them crowded around the opening and saw the fumes being shifted away.

"What are those shapes?" The businessman asked frightfully. After watching them for a few seconds, they realised the 'shapes' were moving and alive.

"Are those Macra?" Violet frowned. "The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy. Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food." Violet explained to the man.

"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me." He commented.

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and our friend's down there." The Doctor said solemnly.

There was a clank on the roof and the three looked up as a pair of feet dangled down before a feline nun dropped into the vehicle.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!" The business man stumbled up, complaining.

"We've invented a sport!" The Doctor said cheerily.

The nun sighed, "You're a hard woman to find, Violet."

"Pardon?" The young woman in question raised her eyebrows.

The Doctor stepped in. "Hang on. You're Novice Hame, aren't you?" He hugged her, grinning, before his face fell and he let go of her. "No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. I might be able to finally redeem myself, but Violet needs to come with me." She grabbed Violet's hand and pressed the teleport button on her wrist before the Doctor could protest.

They teleported to a large, dusty room. It was dark except for a few streams of sunlight that flooded in irregularly. Violet groaned and stood up.

"Oh- rough teleport. What was that for? Why do you want me? Isn't the Doctor the universal superstar?" She grinned.

"I only had power for one trip, and he requested you." She said.

"Okay. Where are we?"

"High above, in the over-city."

Violet nodded. "Good, good. You can tell someone about the Macra living in the motorway millions of people are trapped in, then!"

Novice Hame pressed a button on her wrist, and the room lit up. "There's no one. We're in the senate." Violet looked around and noticed skeletons lying around everywhere. "They died. The city died."

"What happened?" She knelt down next to a skeleton.

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss." The cat picked a token off of the skeleton. "Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished — even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

"Who saved them?" She stood up suddenly.

"He did."

A low, rumbling voice spoke. "Violet."

Violet followed the voice to a huge tank, containing a giant, alien-looking face.

"Are you by any chance the Face of Boe?" She said softly.

"I knew you would come."

She frowned. "How do you know me?"

"You will meet me soon. A much younger version of myself."

"Ah, time travel." She groaned. "You don't look very well."

"My time is coming to an end." He said simply.

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe of the motorway. He's giving his life force just to keep things running down there. With no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea if he hadn't been there." Novice Hame explained.

Violet frowned. "But there are planets out there. You could have called for help."

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."

"So you two were alone for all these years." Violet stated, standing up from where she had crouched next to the Face of Boe. "But now I'm here. And I promise you, Novice Hame, Face of Boe, I will get things running again. The traffic jam will end!"

She rushed around, gathering materials and fumbling with wires. She moved quickly, wanting to save those people as soon as she could.

"I've seen so many people die- I've killed so many. I think it's time I give back, don't you think?" She talked as she worked. "Hold that in place." She pointed at chord.

She fixed up a few more things before she turned back two the Face of Boe and Novice Hame. "It's all set up, I just need power. I need and energy source." She started pacing. "I could wire myself in- it wouldn't kill me. Well, it would, but I've got 13 lives, who's counting?" Violet stopped as the Face of Boe spoke to her again.

"I need you to do something for me." Violet nodded. "When you meet me, I'm going to ask the Doctor if I'm ever going to die. Tell me that I will."

"Why?"

"My life was a long one, and I never had the certainty that I would one day be able to end it. But I do now. I give you my last breath, Violet."

"No, no, no! You can't just die on me!" She yelled as the Face of Boe let out a long, shuddering breath.

"The Doctor needs you, Violet. Take care of him." Violet nodded solemnly before flicking a switch and bringing power to the city.

"I'll protect him with my life." She promised. She started a transmission to the vehicles on the motorway as the shutters above it started to open.

"Hello!" She smiled into the screen. "I'm Violet. Sally Calypso was just a hologram, sorry. But I have some very good news for all of you! You're leaving the motorway. All of you, up! You're finally free to leave!" She paused. "Go on, I'm serious. Go and see the sunlight and the beautiful city just waiting for you! And since we're at it, I'd like to see the Doctor and Martha up at the senate in one piece. And of course Brannigan- the Doctor would throw a fit if he didn't get his coat back." She looked behind her before she added, "And, remember this. When you think of your saviour... Think of the Face of Boe. He gave his life to save all of you."

Violet was talking to the Face of Boe, who's tank had cracked, when the Doctor came bounding into the room.

"Oh, the Face of Boe. You can't be dying- not after all this time." He crouched down next to him.

"My time has come to an end. It's good to breathe the air one last time."

Violet smiled sadly and laid her hand on his cheek.

"Doctor?" Martha's voice called out. He stood up.

"Over here." He waved her over.

She grinned and ran to him, "Doctor! What happened out there?" She asked, but frowned when she saw the Face of Boe. "What's that?"

"The Face of Boe is a he," Violet gave her a look. "And he saved all of your lives."

Novice Hame nodded, "My lord gave his life to save the city... and now he's dying."

"Who is he?" Martha asked.

"I don't even know." The Doctor said regretfully. "Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time." The Face of Boe wisely told them. "You know that, old friend, better than most."

"The legend says more." Hame spoke up.

The Doctor shook his head. "Don't. There's no need for that."

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a pair of travellers."

"Yeah, but not yet." He gave Novice Hame a look. "Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind — as you two are the last of yours." Boe told the him and Violet.

"That's why we have to survive." The Doctor said desperately, and Violet could feel his pain. The three of us. Don't go."

Violet took his hand before she nodded at the Face of Boe.

"I must. But know this, Time Lords. You are not alone." He told them his last words.

"Thank you. I'll keep my promise." Violet said, but her eyes showed so much more. She was sad for the loss of another person, thankful for the enlightment but concerned for the Doctor. She didn't know how he would deal with the death of someone else, or what would happen when Martha started asking questions.

The Face of Boe closed his eyes for the last time as Novice Hame started sobbing. The Doctor has a look of shock on his face, and Violet reached over to hug him.

He wrapped his arms around her too, and she whispered. "You shouldn't lie to her, Theta. You'll only hurt yourself in the end."

The Doctor, Violet and Martha walked down the alleyway where they had started out.

"All closed down." The Doctor stated when he saw the mood-selling stalls.

"Happy?" Martha asked.

The Doctor grinned, "Happy happy. New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs- cats in charge!"

Violet looked at Martha before turning to the Doctor. "I'm going to head back, okay?" He nodded.

"What did he mean, the Face of Boe?" Martha asked curiously. "'You're not alone.'" She quoted.

"I don't know." The Doctor replied honestly.

She stepped towards him and smiled. "You've got me. Is that what he meant?"

The Doctor looked at Violet, who was walking off already, and Martha followed his gaze with a slight glare. He turned back and shook his head, trying to keep a grin from appearing on his face. "I don't think so. Sorry."

Violet listened to them as she strolled further away. As soon as she was around a corner, she stopped.

The city started singing, and the Doctor started talking.

"I lied to you, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky. Violet and I- we're not just Time Lords. We're the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

"What happened?"

"There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song..."

The Doctor continued telling Martha of their destroyed home planet as Violet continued to listen. She leaned against the wall, tears in her eyes as she remembered what she lost.

Once they had finished talking, they made their way back to the TARDIS, where Violet was waiting, tears still welled up in her eyes. As they approached her, the Doctor saw her pained look and moved a little faster and embraced her.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled into her hair, completely forgetting Martha, who stood watching them with an annoyed look on her face.

Violet moved out of his arms and sighed, wiping tears away. "Sorry... I just-" She took a shaky breath. "Hearing about it... Sorry." She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence, so she looked down, gathering herself before smiling.

"So... Off we go?" She suggested cheerily, stepping into the TARDIS before Martha's glare made her drop dead. The Doctor frowned a little, but followed her in.

That just left Martha, who had fallen for the Doctor harder than she had ever fallen before. She sighed and walked into the TARDIS, having lost the feeling that the Doctor might have felt something for her, too.


	11. Daleks in Manhattan

Martha, Violet and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, which stood before a white stone wall.

"Where are we?" Martha looked around.

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely." The Doctor grinned enthusiastically. "Martha, have you met my friend?"

They looked up to see the Statue of Liberty, illuminated by the sunlight that seemed to pour down over her head.

"Is that... Oh my God- that's the Statue of Liberty!" She exclaimed.

"Gateway to the New World." He told her before quoting, "'Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free…'"

"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York. I mean the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new one."

The Doctor nodded, moving to the edge of the island with Violet. "Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. No wonder it didn't catch on. 'New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam'."

"I wonder what year it is, 'cause look- the Empire State Building's not even finished yet." She pointed out.

"Work in progress. Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around-" He was cut off by his two companions speaking in sync.

"November 1, 1930." They both stated, Martha with a newspaper in her hand, Violet going by the amount of floors completed on the Empire State Building.

"You're getting good at this." The Doctor approved, nodding at Martha before seeing she had a newspaper in her hand. Still, Martha looked slightly smug that he had complimented her.

"Eighty years ago. It's funny 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now." Martha went on. "Come on, you. Where do we go first?"

The Doctor looked at the newspaper. "I think our detour just got longer." He told her and Violet.

"'Hooverville Mystery Deepens'." Martha read out loud. "What's Hooverville?" She asked.

The three made their way to Central Park and strolled through it, the Doctor explaining thigs to Martha as Violet listened partially. She was looking around, observing the beauty of the park around them.

"Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago. Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then…"

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah? When was that, 1929?"

"Yeah. Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park."

"What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?"

They arrived at Hooverville- a large group of randomly put-up shacks and tents. Fires were lit all over the place, men sitting at them, warming their bodies in the cold, late autumn air. People gave them looks as they walked past, Violet feeling an extreme pang of sympathy for these people. They had no homes.

"Ordinary people. Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go." The Doctor explained, sympathetic as well.

They saw two men fighting, coming out of one of the tents. From what they could hear, one of them had stolen a loaf of bread. They were beating each other when a black man came out of his tent and broke them apart.

"Cut that out!" He shouted. When they didn't listen he pushed them apart. "Cut that out! Right now!"

"He stole my bread!" One of the men accused.

"That's enough!" The man, seemingly in charge, looked at the other. "Did you take it?"

"I don't know what happened. He just went crazy."

They tried to fight again, but the man stopped them. "That's enough!" He repeated. "Now think real careful before you lie to me."

"I'm starvin', Solomon." The man, apparently named Solomon, held out his hand and the man accused of stealing pulled a loaf of bread out from his coat and handed it to him slowly.

"We're all starvin'." Solomon halfed the bread. "We all got families somewhere." He gave each of the men some bread. "No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got." The men didn't look very happy, but they walked away nonetheless.

The Doctor, Violet and Martha went to talk to Solomon.

"I suppose that makes you the boss around here." The Doctor approached him.

"And, uh, who might you be?"

The Doctor was going to answer, but Martha beat him to it. "He's the Doctor. I'm Martha." Solomon nodded before raising an eyebrow at Violet.

"Violet." She waved, giving Solomon a wary look.

"A doctor. Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighbourhood gets classier by the day." He put his hands over the fire they stood by.

The Doctor looked around. "How many people live here?"

"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." He laughed bitterly. So you're welcome. All three of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He pointed at the Empire State Building. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

"So…men are going missing. Is this true?" The Doctor asked, holding up the newspaper. Solomon moved to go into a tent and the three travellers followed.

"It's true all right."

"But what does missing mean?" The Doctor pressed. "Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register."

"This is different."

Martha frowned. "In what way?"

"Someone takes them." Solomon explained. "At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" He asked for confirmation.

"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning." Solomon said seriously.

"Have you been to the police?" Martha questioned while Violet sat silently, listening to them.

"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal." He scoffed.

"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?" The Doctor concluded, rubbing his face, looking at Violet to see if she had a clue.

She looked up as a young man stuck his head into the tent. "Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here." The man nodded, and they all walked to where Diagoras was standing with two other men.

"I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money." He stated condescendingly.

"What is the money?" The young man asked.

"A dollar a day." He told them, making the men grumble.

"What's the work?" Solomon demanded.

"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing." The man said lightly. "Any takers?"

"A dollar a day?" Solomon asked disbelievingly. "That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen." Diagoras shrugged.

"What do you mean? What sort of accidents?" The Doctor spoke up, curious.

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else?" When the Doctor raised his hand, Diagoras sighed. "Enough with the questions."

"Oh, no. I'm volunteering." He gestured at his outstretched arm.

Violet grinned. "So am I."

Martha raised her hand too, looking at the Doctor. "I'll kill you for this."

Solomon and the young man raised their hands too.

"Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it." Diagoras told the volunteers when they were down in the tunnels. It was- typical for sewers- dark, wet and not-too-pleasant smelling.

"And when do we get our dollar?" The young man, who's name, Violet had learned, was Frank, asked.

"When you come back up."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "And if we don't come back up?"

"Then I got no one to pay." Diagoras said with the hint of a smile in his eyes, which Violet caught.

"We'll be back." Solomon promised darkly.

"Let's hope so."

The others start off down the tunnel, but Violet stayed slightly longer.

"So, I come back up, I get my dollar?" Violet asked for affirmation.

"Sure." Diagoras nodded.

"Good thing I plan on coming back up, then." She grinned.

"Yeah... of course." He said, again with a slightly sinister look on his face. Violet gave him one last look before going to the Doctor, who was waiting for her.

As they jogged down the tunnel to catch up with the rest of the group, VIolet licked her finger and stuck it in the air.

When she noticed the Doctor's curious look, she explained. "If there was a collapse, the air would be at least slowed down by it. Funny thing is, there's a rather strong draft, and I don't think Diagoras is planning on us coming back up."

"You're brilliant." He smiled at her.

"Nope, just Time Lord. Which means you, Theta, are brilliant too." She returned his smile before pulling him towards the group in fron of them.

"You stick with me, you'll be all right." Frank was saying to Martha when they got into hearing range.

"Who is Diagoras?" Violet asked.

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan." Solomon told her.

"How did he manage that, then?"

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round." He explained, but didn't look too sure of himself either.

While walking, they saw a blob lying before them, glowing in a pale, sickly green.

"Whoa!" The Doctor exclaimed. Violet and he crouched down beside it.

"Is it radioactive or something?" Martha came forward as well, but covered her nose and mouth when she came close to it. "It's gone off, whatever it is."

The Doctor slipped on his glasses and carefully picked it up, Violet leaning forward to get a better look at it.

"And you've got to pick it up." Martha continued to complain.

"Shine your torch through it." The Doctor told Martha. "Composite organic matter." He stated before addressing her. "Martha? Medical opinion?"

She scrunched up her nose. "It's not human. I know that."

The Doctor looked at Violet, who nodded. "No, it's not. On another note, we're about 900 yards in... I don't see a collapse. What does Diagoras want us down here for?"

"So where are we now? What's above us?" Martha looked up as if the ceiling of the sewers would hold the answer.

"Well…we're right underneath Manhattan." The Doctor stood up, the blob still in his hands. "Solomon, I think it's time you took these two back." He gestured at Martha and Frank. We'll be much quicker by ourselves."

Martha was just about to protest and give Violet a glare, when they heard the echo of squeal.

"What the hell was that?" Solomon asked, alarmed.

"Hello?!" Frank called out. The rest of them immediately shushed him, but he kept on. "What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own." He argued as another squeal sounded.

"I normally encourage a good dose of optimism and hope, but does that honestly sound human to you?" Violet gave him a look.

The Doctor walked forward a bit. "This way." He motioned in one direction.

Solomon shone his light down another tunnel. "No, that way." His torchlight revealed a figure huddled on the corner of a bend in the tunnel.

"Who are you?" He called.

"Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…" Frank started walking towards the figure, but the Doctor stopped him.

"It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." He went to the creature. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own. We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." He squatted down and shone the light into the creature's face, revealing a pig head on a human body. "Oh, but what are you?"

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?" Solomon asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"No, it's real." The Doctor turned back to the pig man. "I'm sorry. Now listen to me. I promise I can help. "Now, who did this to you?"

"Doctor, I think you'd better get back here." Martha said frightfully, seeing shadows on the wall behind the Doctor as Violet was. He looked up to his side, seeing a group of pigmen approach him. He jumped up and backed away towards Violet, who was standing between him and the rest of the group.

He glanced at the creatures ganging up on them nervously. "Actually… good point."

"They're following you." Martha pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks." He said sarcastically. "Well then, Martha, Frank, Solomon, Violet…"

"What?" Martha pushed, anxious.

"Um, basically…" The Doctor paused. "Run!" He shouted abruptly, grabbing Violet's hand as he passed her. They raced down the tunnel with Martha in the lead, but they came to a cross-section, making Martha stop.

"Where are we going?!" She screamed.

"This way!" The Doctor and Violet caught up and passed by her, turning right. They eventually got to the mouth of a joining tunnel.

"There's a ladder!" Martha noticed. The Doctor saw it too and climbed up the ladder, using his sonic on the lid above it. Violet and Martha followed him quickly once he got it open, but Solomon hesitated, seeing Frank pick up a metal rod to hold off the pig men.

"Frank!" He shouted out while climbing the ladder frantically. The young man turned back, seeing that the others were safe, and ran after them. "C'mon, Frank! C'mon!" He urged for the boy to move faster, not wanting to lose him to the creatures.

He was halfway up the ladder, and Violet held out her hand for him to take. He did, but was pulled back down by the pig men below him. She used all of her strength to pull him up, but she was overpowered by the mass of the pig men- they pulled Frank back down into the sewers.

"No!" She shouted, looking after him. Solomon shoved her away from the hole and closed the lid, sealing it from the pig men.

"We can't go after him." Solomon said regretfully as Violet stood up and Violet leant over a table, breathing heavily, putting her weight on her hands.

"If he's dead, I'm gonna declare war on the entire bloody universe." She growled. It wasn't just about Frank- she barely knew him. Every time it came down to her, she was too weak. If she wasn't physically too weak, she wasn't strong enough to stop her anger from controlling her.

"It's not your fault. They were too many." The Doctor came up and laid an arm around her shoulder, which she shrugged off.

"Whatever." She ran a hand through her hair, doing nothing to calm her unruly, curly mess

Unexpectedly, a blonde woman came around a corner with a gun.

"All right then. Put 'em up." She ordered with a strong New York accent. Martha was the only one to put her hands up, so the woman cocked the gun.

"Hands in the air and no funny business." She glared at them. When the Doctor and Solomon put their hands up, Violet sighed. She grabbed the gun from the blonde and weighed it in her hand.

"Not even a real gun." She threw it away and assessed the woman. "Besides, you wouldn't even dare to shoot."

The woman sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I just want Lazlo back." She complained.

Martha lowered her hands. "Uh, who's Lazlo?"

"Lazlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago. No letter, no good-bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid. I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?" She asked.

"What do you think happened to him?"

"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip- vanished." She gestured with her hands.

"Listen, uh- what's your name?" The Doctor stepped forward.

"Tallulah."

"Tallulah-" He started.

"3 Ls and an H." She added.

"Right. Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night." The Doctor told her, a sincere look in his eyes.

"And there are creatures. Such creatures." Solomon unnerved the young woman.

"Whaddaya mean, "creatures"?" She looked back at him.

"Look. Listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this, " He pulled the blob from his pocket again. "Because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting.

Tallulah leaned away from the stenching thing being held into her face. "Yech!"

The Doctor and Violet started looking for equipment in the prop room, one more wrapped in thought than the other, running around and inspecting stuff.

Solomon approached them, holding a radio. "How about this? I found it backstage."

Violet took it from him. "You're good- these are the capacitators we need. We need to find out what that think is," She pointed at the blob. "We can use this to rig up a DNA scan, and if we can get a chromosomal reading, we can find out where it's from." She explained, already fiddling with the radio.

"How about you, Doctor? Violet? Where are you from? I've been all over. I've never heard anybody talk like you. Just exactly who are you?" Solomon iterrogated.

"Oh, I'm just sort of passing by." The Doctor said vaguely, and Violet gave him a look.

"I'm not a fool, Doctor." The black man said, annoyed.

The Doctor looked over at Violet, who looked down when he caught her gaze. "No. Sorry." He said genuinely.

"I was so scared, Doctor. I let them take Frank 'cause I was just too scared. I gotta get back to Hooverville. With these creatures on the loose, we gotta protect ourselves- ain't no one else gonna help us." Solomon decided.

"Good luck." He told him.

"I hope you find what you're looking for." Solomon looked at Violet. "For all our sakes."

The two Time Lords were on the deserted balcony of the theatre, the blob hooked up to the DNA scanner. The Doctor used a stage light to set a beam on it before kneeling next to Violet.

"Let's warm you up." He put on his glasses and they examined it.

"This is artificial." Violet stated.

"Ladies and gentlemen..." They heard the announcer.

"Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you're clever." The Doctor praised.

"...with Heaven and Hell!"

The Doctor took a stehoscope from his coat. "Fundamental DNA type 467-989. 989. Hold, that means planet of origin-"

"Skaro." Violet breathed. "They're alive. They're alive!" There was the hint of a smile on her face, while the Doctor's fell. He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he rushed off to the backstage area.

"Where is she? Where's Martha?" He asked frantically when they saw Tallulah.

"I don't know. She ran off the stage." She informed them.

He was about to speak when they heard Martha scream. Violet and the Doctor ran off, Tallulah following them.

When they reached to prop room, she was gone, leaving only the sewer lid askew.

"Martha!" He shouted after her, before throwing on his coat and climbing down with Violet.

"Oh, where are you goin'?" Tallulah asked, exhausted from all the shock and unusual events already.

"They've taken her." Was the only reply she got.

"Who's taken her?" She pushed.

"No, no, no, no, no way. You're not coming." The Doctor protested.

"Tell me what's going on." She demanded.

The Doctor sighed. "There's nothing you can do. Go back."

"Will you stop arguing! It's a free country, Tallulah can come. If you're so worried about Martha, hurry up and start moving, will you?" Violet yelled at them, exasperated. They looked at her- the Doctor sheepish, Tallulah gratefully- and started walking off in the wrong direction.

"It's this way." Violet told them blandly before trudging off down the sewers, wrapping her jacket around herself tighter.

The two caught up with her and Tallulah started asking questions again. "When you say 'They've taken her', who's they exactly? And who are you anyway? I never asked."

The Doctor shushed her.

"Okay, okay."

The Doctor shushed her again, seeing the shadow of the one creature he never wanted to see again.

"I mean you're handsome and all-" Tallulah started, but didn't get to finish as the Doctor covered her mouth and pulled her into a little alcove of the tunnel they were in, Violet following suit.

The Dalek passed slowly but didn't notice them. Once it had passed, they moved out of the alcove.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. They survived. They always survive while I lose everything." The Doctor said ruefully, and Violet felt bad for him, but she was estatic. She hadn't caused a genocide.

"That metal thing? What was it?" Tallulah looked down the tunnel it had gone.

"It's called a Dalek. And it's not just metal, it's alive." The Doctor spat.

"You're kidding me." She laughed.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" He snapped. Inside that shell is a creature born to hate, whose only thought is to destroy everything and everyone that isn't a Dalek too. It won't stop until it's killed every human being alive."

Tallulah sobered up, "But if it's not a human being, that kinda implies it's from outer space." He gve her a look. "Yet again, that's a 'no' with the kidding. Boy… Well, what's it doin' here, in New York?"

The Doctor was about to answer, but saw Violet wandering off.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

She turned around. "They're alive, Theta. I thought I had killed them, that I wasn't any better than them, but they survived." She looked at him seriously. "They're alone, so I'm going to help them. And I won't mess up this time." She turned back around swiftly, not leaving any room for argument as she stalked off down the sewers, away from them.

Violet watched as two Daleks forced their prisoners into a line, Martha and Frank bemidst them. She listened to the Daleks talk about a 'Final Experiment' and an energy conductor and watched them split the group into high and low intelligence.

Once the Daleks moved away to the 'transgenetic laboratory', Violet fell into line between Martha and Frank, only to be joined by the Doctor, who came from another branch of tunnels.

"I never could get rid of you." She sighed, but smiled a little.

"I'm so glad to see you, Doctor." Martha spoke quietly.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later. You too, Frank, if you want." The Doctor joked. Violet raised her eyebrows, laughing silently.

They were brought to a huge laboratory and a Dalek, which Violet recognised as Dalek Sec, stood before them, smoke coming out of his shell.

"Report."

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution."

"Scan him. Prepare for birth."

They listened to the conversation, and the Time Lords started worrying.

"Evolution?" The Doctor repeated disbelievingly.

Violet scoffed, "Never mind that- birth?!"

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" Martha motioned at Dalek Sec.

"It's having a baby." Violet said wth fake enthusiasm.

"Why don't you ask them?" The Doctor suggested, ignoring Violet's comment.

"What me? Don't be daft." Martha tried to say lightly, but was too scared.

"We don't exactly want to get noticed. Ask them what's going on."

She took a deep breath. "Daleks, I demand to be told. What is this Final Experiment?" She paused. "Report!"

"You will bear witness."

"To what?" She demanded again.

"This is the dawn of a new age."

"What does that mean?" She asked as the Doctor and Violet's frowns got deeper.

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again." A Dalek screeched as Dalek Sec's shell powered down. It opened, and when the smoke faded away, it revealed a body- one that wore the suit of Diagoras- with a head that looked like the Dalek body. The former body wrapped around a brain, but it was still seen through the gaps. A few tentacles moved on either side of its head as it stood up slowly, stretching out. Its single eye blinked, seeing the light for the first time.

"What is it?" Martha gasped.

"I am a human Dalek. I am your future."


	12. Evolution of the Daleks

"These… humans will become like me." The new, human Dalek Sec said. "Prepare them for hybridisation." The prisoners protested and tried to get away from the pig slaves, which were coming in around them.

"Leave me alone! Don't you dare!" Martha struggled as the Doctor and Violet slipped away behind some machinery, going unnoticed in the fuss.

A song started playing, and the shouts died down, everyone looking towards the source.

"What is that sound?" Dalek Sec demanded. The Doctor stepped out, placing a radio down onto one of the experimenting tables.

"That would be me." He waved. "Hello. Surprise. Boo. Et cetera."

"Doctor." Dalek Sec greeted.

"The enemy of the Daleks." Another Dalek stated.

"Exterminate." One screeched, pointing a mechanical arm at him.

Dalek Sec held up his hands. "Wait."

"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." The Doctor walked forward nonchalantly. "Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped the Unnamed's slaughter." Dalek Sec sneered, and Violet winced where she was still hiding.

"How did you end up in 1930?" The Doctor ignored his comment, knowing that it was a sore subject for Violet.

"Emergency Temporal Shift."

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" He scoffed, moving around in the confinement the Daleks had formed around him. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you." He looked Dalek Sec up and down, not condenscendingly, but curiously.

"Where is the Unnamed?" Dalek Sec looked around. "Surely she's not scared." He provoked.

The Doctor glared, thinking of the pain they had caused her. "What, like you? No- she's so much stronger. But you've grown weaker, haven't you? Devolved into scared, lonely little things, forced to evolve." He turned back to Dalek Sec. "Which brings us back to you."

"I am Dalek in human form."

"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now." He said curiously

"I… feel… humanity." Dalek Sec pushed out the words.

"Good. That's good." The Doctor nodded.

"I… feel… everything we wanted from mankind- which is ambition. Hatred. Aggression and war. Such… a genius for war." He mused.

"No, that's not what humanity means-"

"I think it does." Sec interrupted. "At heart, this species is so very…Dalek."

The Doctor was at a loss for words at that, so he changed the topic. "All right, so what have you achieved hen? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." He pointed at the device he had set down. "Simple little radio."

"What is the purpose of that device?" Dalek Sec interrogated.

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that?" He asked sarcastically. "Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek of course." He aimed his sonic at the device, but the other Daleks intercepted his view.

"You will step away from the device." One ordered. The Doctor frowned at his plan gone wrong, but moved away when he saw the laser stalks pointed at him. They moved closer, encircling him so there was no way out.

Violet poked her head around the corner and saw this before stepping out fully.

"Move away from him." She ordered calmly, as the Daleks turned to her in shock.

"The Unnamed! Exterminate!" They screeched and fired at her. They blue bolts missed her by an inch as she ducked behind a beam.

"That's not very nice, is it?" She called. "I was just gonna say hello."

"You will be exterminated!"

She showed her head. "Yeah, I gathered that, thanks. But seriously, let him go." She motioned at the Doctor before dodging out of the way of another bolt.

"He will stay!" They replied, and Violet sighed and stepped in front of the Daleks once more.

"Swap?" She suggested.

The Doctor glared at her. "Don't you dare!" He shouted.

Violet ignored him. "What do you say? You let the Doctor go, release the humans and take me in return. I'd say that's a fair deal." She talked nonchalantly as she moved around the room lightly, the Daleks staying very still.

Once Violet made it to Dalek Sec, who stood before the Doctor still, she stopped and held out her hand.

"Deal?"

He looked down at it for a second, hesitating, before he put his clawed hand in hers.

"Let the humans and the Doctor go." He ordered the pig slaves and Daleks. They did so, and the prisoners ran out as soon as they were free.

"You're not serious, are you? They'll murder you!" The Doctor yelled, enraged at the suicidal act of the girl.

"Let them try." She said with a glint in her eyes. "Now go. They need your help." She pleaded.

He looked at her for a moment, searching for a crumble in her tough resolve that would make her try and run with him, but when he didn't, he nodded and left slowly.

"Thank you." She said as he walked out of the laboratory, catching up with the rest of them. Once he was a safe distance away, she pulled out her sonic and locked the door behind him.

"You do not want to be saved?" Dalek Sec asked, confused.

"You'd kill him in the blink of an eye." Violet spat. "I'm not going to do that."

"I have no intention of killing him. We need your help."

"You want to make human Daleks." Violet summed up as she looked at the body lying in front of her. It was attached to all sorts of tubes, keeping it alive.

"Yes, but we do not have the genius to see the plan through." Dalek Sec said.

"You just called me a genius." Violet pointed out before turning to the other Daleks. "And you're going to let him make a whole new race? You'll be different from them. They'll all be the same, but you won't have emotions or a human body. Imagine that. The Cult of Skaro- outsiders." She taunted them, knowing that it was the only way to get a proper answer out of them.

"We will rule the species together." Sec spoke for them, making Violet shake her head.

"No, I'm asking them." She moved closer to a Dalek. "Are you going to let him take away your supremecy?" She said lowly.

"We are supreme! We will always be supreme!" It screeched suddenly, the other two Daleks moving in on her.

"Daleks! What is the purpose of this attack?" Dalek Sec demanded, but he got no answer. The three of them trapped Violet against the beam she had hidden behind earlier.

"Of course you wouldn't be okay with this!" She said. "You're the Daleks- you don't evolve, and you certainly don't become human!"

"You will not assist." The Daleks told her. "Exterminate!"

They pointed their stalks at her and fired, hitting her chest thrice. She groaned and clutched it, feeling the burn of the lasers hitting her hearts. She fell to the ground an stopped herself screaming as the pain spread through her body like a wildfire underneath the blazing sun.

Slowly, a feeling of numbness enclosed her. Then came the darkness.

When the Doctor burst into the Dalek lab, he immediately started shouting.

"Those people were defenceless! You only wanted me, but no, that wasn't enough for you! You had to start killing 'cause that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!" He accused.

"The deaths… were wrong." Sec admitted.

"I'm sorry?" He raised his eyebrows in the biggest confusion.

"That man, their leader Solomon, he showed courage."

"And that's good?" The Doctor looked for confirmation.

"That's excellent." Sec nodded.

"Is it me or are you just becoming a little bit more human?"

"You are the last of your kind and now I am the first of mine." The hybrid spoke.

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not the last of my kind. I have Violet." He paused, as if remembering. "Where is she?" He growled.

Sec looked over to where he pig slaves had moved her. "My Daleks got to her before I could convince them otherwise."

"You killed her!" He ran over to her side and checked for heartbeats. When he didn't find any, he moved her so she was lying properly and moved a strand of hair out of her face gently, not even noticing the lone tear running down his face. He stayed that way, on he knees beside her, for a little while before standing up and facing Dalek Sec.

"You murdered her!" He shouted, fury and pain obvious in his eyes.

"And I apologise." He said solemnly. "The Daleks didn't see the potential in her, only her threat."

"But you didn't have to kill her!" The Doctor was shaking. He had only just found her. There was so much he wanted to do with her, so much he wanted them to see, but the Daleks took that away from him. Another thing on the long list of things they had destroyed.

It was deeper than that, though. In those past few weeks, Violet had helped him. She had been there to protect him from his nightmares- from the terrible things he dreamt about. She had been there to save him so many times, and this time she had died doing so. It was his fault.

He had killed her.

There was only darkness. There was no concept of time or space, just the darkness. She was in it. Somewhere, nowhere- she was there, but she wasn't. Because there was nothing. She didn't know how long she floated in the endless night.

But then there was something. It was different- she had never felt anything. It came rushing closer, and she couldn't decipher what it was until it hit her.

Pain.

Fury.

Loss.

She cried out in her mind as the waves kept coming, rolling in on her, making her scream into the darkness.

The Doctor had helped Dalek Sec create the human Daleks. He was still shaking a little, furious over the loss of Violet, but he had to help them. If he hadn't, they would have gone back to destroying the planet.

The gene feed had just been released into the bodies when the lights of the lab turned red and an alarm sounded.

"What's that?" The Doctor looked around.

"What's happening? Is there a malfunction?" Sec asked the Daleks. "Answer me!"

"No, no, no. The gene feed! They're overriding the gene feed!" The Doctor, who had figured out what was happening, rushed over to the controls to try an fix it.

"Impossible. They cannot disobey orders." Sec denied.

The Dalek next to the controls spoke. "The Doctor will step away from the controls." He did so, backing away from the weapon pointed at him.

"Stop! You will not fire." The hybrid commanded.

"He is an enemy of the Daleks."

"And so are you."

"I am your commander." Sec reasoned. "I am Dalek Sec."

"You have lost your authority."

"You are no longer a Dalek."

"What have you done with the gene feed?" The Doctor shouted.

"The new bodies will be 100% Dalek."

"No. You can't do this!" Dalek Sec protested.

"Pig slaves, restrain Dalek Sec and the Doctor." Two pig slaves grabbed Sec, but the Doctor carefully picked up Violet before he was restrained. He looked down at her limp figure and closed his eyes for a second, desperately hoping that she wasn't dead.

A ping sounded, and Lazlo, who was holding the Doctor, spoke quietly. "There's the lift."

"After you." The Doctor said in an equally quiet voice, and the two of them pushed through the pig slaves and headed for the lift, the Doctor pointing his sonic at it.

Once they were inside, Lazlo leant against the side, panting heavily, dragging his collar down as if it were suffocating him.

"We've only got minutes before the gamma radiation reaches the Earth. We need to get to the top of the building." The Doctor said quickly before looking at the almost-pig slave. "Lazlo, what's wrong?"

"Out of breath. It's nothing. We've escaped them, Doctor. That's all that matters." He moved away from the topic, but the Doctor still looked at him in worry.

"I'm sorry about her." Lazlo gestured at Violet. The Doctor looked down at her, lying in his arms.

"So am I." He said.

They rode in silence, but the lift doors opened finally and revealed Martha and Tallulah standing by some plans.

"Doctor!" Martha shouted, running up to him with a huge smile on her face, which faded when she saw the girl in his arms. "What happened to her?" She frowned.

"They killed her." He spat venomously, but gently placed her down on the ground gently.

Martha couldn't help but be slightly envious of the care Violet got even when she was dead. When the Doctor stood back up, she led him to the plans. "We worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast." She pointed out before pausing and looking at him properly. "And it's good to see you too, by the way." She grinned.

"You too." He said and hugged her quickly before a ding sounded and the lift doors closed. "No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug." He ran to the controls next to it, but pointing his sonic at it didn't help.

"It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it." He said, not noticing Martha, who was disappointed at the fact that her hug was a 'waste'.

"Where's it going?" She panicked.

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here. What's the time?" The Doctor asked.

"11:15." Frank replied, looking at a clock.

"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits."

Tallulah frowned. "Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?"

Martha looked anxious for a split-second before leading the Doctor outside.

"Oh, that's high. That's very- Blimey, that's high." He said nervously.

"And we've got to go even higher. That's the mast up there, look." She moved to the ladder. "There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off."

"That's not 'we'. That's just me." The Doctor corrected her.

"I won't just stand here and watch you!" Martha protested.

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight." He told her, genuinely sorry.

He started to climb up the scaffolding, leaving Martha, Tallulah, Lazlo and Frank alone. They quickly armed themselves, getting ready for the pig slaves to come out of the lift.

Suddenly, they heard an intake of breath behind them. They turned around to see Violet, sitting up, hands on her chest and breathing heavily.

"Where's the Doctor?" Were the first words out of her mouth.

"He said you were dead!" Tallulah exclaimed.

"He was wrong. Now, where is he?" She pressed.

"We went up, to take the Dalekanium off." She told Violet, scared.

Violet got up and ran for the ladder, but Martha stopped her.

"You can't go up there! He said we had to fight!" She said. If she didn't get to help the Doctor, neither should Violet.

"Yeah, well, he thought I was dead, too."

"You're not going!" Martha glared, making Violet scoff.

"Are you going to stop me?"

Martha nodded. "If I have to."

"Oh for the love of... Stop being so bloody primitive and let me help him!" She moved her out of the way and started climbing up ladder, just seeing the Doctor drop his sonic. She caught it as it fell past her and put it in her pocket.

She heard him shout as he tried to remove the Dalekanium with his bare hands, but when he figured out that it was no use, he climbed up the mast and held onto it tightly just as the lightning hit.

"Theta!" Violet shouted, trying to move her exhausted body faster, seeing him being electrocuted by the bolt of lightning. The lightning passed along the whole building, and Violet clenched her teeth, not so much in pain, but at hearing the Doctor scream.

She made it up to the top just as the lightning stopped and caught the Doctor as he fell from the mast, unconsious. She checked his vitals quickly before letting out a breath and dropping her head on to his chest in exhaustion.

"We're going to be alright, Theta." She whispered and took his hand into hers.

She heard a woman's screech. "Doctor? Doctor!" Martha came into view and knelt next to the Doctor, completely ignoring the woman lying beside him. "Are you okay?"

He moved slowly. "Oh, my head." He groaned.

"Hiya." Martha smiled in relief.

"Hi." He croaked. "You survived then."

"So did you." Martha retorted, before adding, "Just about."

Violet sat up, clutching her head. "Just ignore me, then."

The Doctor looked at her in shock, only just realising she was there. "But you were-"

"Dead?" She suggested. "Yeah, I was."

The Doctor shook his head. "That's impossible. You can't come back from the dead... How does that work?"

"Well, if you want me to go..." She trailed off with a slight smirk on her face.

"Oh, come here." He held out his arms and hugged Violet, who laughed. When he let go of her, she slapped him across the face.

"What was that for?!" He exclaimed, holding his cheek.

"For being an idiot." She replied, but was smiling.

The Doctor grinned. "Yeah, but you wouldn't have me any other way, right?"

"Touché." She got up, pulling him up with her. "Now, no time to waste. Manhattan needs us."

They went dow the scaffolding and looked out at the city. "The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan." The Doctor guessed.

"How do we stop them?" Lazlo asked.

"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first." He moved into the building, still holding Violet's hand.

Martha followed after them. "But what does that mean?"

"We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them." He changed the topic. "Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way." He spoke more to himself than anyone else.

"Tallulah!" Violet spun around.

"That's me. Three Ls and an H." She said proudly.

"The theatre! It should be empty, it's past midnight. Can you get us inside?" She asked.

The show girl shrugged. "Don't see why not."

"Is there another lift?" The Doctor asked, eyeing the pig slaves lying in it, dead.

"We came up in the service elevator." Martha suggested, wanting to be helpful.

"That'll do. Allons-y!" He ran off, pulling Violet with him.

They arrived in the dark theatre and the Doctor immediately threw his coat to the ground and jumped up onto the seats, Violet following too.

"This should do it." The Doctor looked at Violet, who nodded and got out her sonic.

"Hope they have insurance." She muttered and started messing with the device.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark." Tallulah commented. "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, huh?" She complained, but stopped when Lazlo fell into the chair beside her.

"Lazlo, what's wrong?" She worried, sitting down next to him.

"Nothing. It's just so hot." Lazlo said, breathing heavily.

"But…it's freezing in here." She turned to the Time Lords. "Doctor, what's happening to him?"

Violet gave him a look, and he moved from the seat to Lazlo, checking his condition while Violet checked the frequency of her sonic.

"What are you doing?" Martha asked her reluctantly.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." Violet held up her sonic, the blue light at the tip blinking, sending a signal. "You should go." She commented.

"I'm not leaving him again!" She protested.

"You have to." Violet said curtly, putting her sonic back into her pocket.

"Who are you to order me around? Some kind of Dalek?" Martha sneered.

Violet stopped, and the Doctor watched her cautiously as she turned to the young woman. "No. I'm a thousand times worse."

Just then, the doors of the theatre bursted open and the human Daleks marched in, holding guns that resembled to the ones of Dalek machines.

"Oh, my God! Well I guess that's them then, huh?" Tallulah held onto Lazlo tighter.

"Humans… with Dalek DNA." Martha commented, looking around.

Frank went to move forward, but the Doctor held him back. "It's all right. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them."

"But what about the Dalek masters? Where are they?" Lazlo questioned.

As that question was spoken, there was an explosion on stage. The group ducked behind the seats to avoid the debris that flew through the theatre.

Once the smoke cleared, two Daleks could be seen, Dalek Sec chained to them and crawling between them.

"The Unnamed and the Doctor will stand before the Daleks." They ordered. The Doctor grabbed her hand as they both stepped over the seats to stand in the front row.

"You will die, Time Lords. It is the beginning of a new age."

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro."

"Oh, and what a world." Violet commented."With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt."

The Doctor pointed at the creature on it's hands and knees between them. "That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him. Is that your new empire? Hm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?"

"My Daleks… just understand this." Dalek Sec spoke up. "If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you."

"Incorrect. We will always survive."

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemies."

"But he can help you." Sec tried to reason with them.

"The Doctor must die." They denied him.

"No, I beg you, don't." Dalek Sec started to stand up in front of one of the Daleks.

"Exterminate!" It screeched just as Sec stood, and it shot him, killing him instantly.

"Your own leader." The Doctor sneered. "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." He turned to the human Daleks. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is?"

"Since we're going to die either way, let's give them a try." Violet gestured at the hybrids. "How about it? Your new race baptised in the blood of their greatest enemies. Go on." She suggested darkly. The Doctor squeezed her hand as they cocked their guns and aimed at them.

"What are you waiting for? Give the command!" The Doctor taunted.

"Exterminate!" The Daleks ordered, but nothing happened, so they repeated the order.

"Exterminate!" They screeched, but there was still nothing.

"Exterminate!" They tried again.

"Why?" One of the human Daleks asked.

"Daleks do not question orders."

"But why?" He asked again.

"You will stop this."

"But… why?" He repeated.

"You always do question everything." She nudged the Doctor.

"You must not question." The Daleks said.

"But you are not our master. And we… we are not Daleks." The man denied.

"No, you're not, and you never will be." Violet told him.

Sorry, I got in the way of the lightening strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up." The Doctor told the Daleks.

"Just that little bit of freedom." Violet grinned.

"If they will not obey, then they must die." The Dalek promptly shot the man that had asked questions.

"Get down!" The Doctor shouted. They did so, only hearing the hybrids systematically shoot the Daleks, and the Daleks taking them out one by one.

"Exterminate!" They shouted, but were both blown up in the following moments. When the hybrids stopped firing, the Doctor and Violet went over the one of them.

"It's all right. You did it. You're free." The Doctor told him. Violet moved to another, but they all clutched their heads and started screaming, falling to the ground.

"No!" The Doctor shouted. "They can't! They can't! They can't!" He knelt down next to one of the bodies. Violet did so too, but she was more interested in the Doctor than the hybrids. She pulled him away from it, hugging him.

"I'm sorry, Theta." She whispered. He nodded and wrapped his arms around her, shaking a little. He held onto her tightly, the sorrow overwhelming him as she soothed him, running a hand over his back rythmatically.

Martha ran over to them. "What happened? What was that?" She questioned, breaking them apart.

"They killed 'em. Rather than let them live." He spat. "An entire species- genocide." Violet took his hand again, despite Martha's looks. He needed her- Martha could wait.

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed." Lazlo spoke up, feeling pitiful for the Doctor, seeing how much it pained him. "One of the Dalek masters must still be alive."

The Doctor and Violet stood up. "Oh, yes. In the whole universe. Just one."

The Dalek was still connected to the battle computer when the Doctor and Violet barged in.

"Now what?" The Doctor asked.

"You will be exterminated." The Dalek stated.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek- What was your name?"

"Dalek Caan." It said.

"Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you." Violet stepped forward.

"Right now you're facing the only people in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan… let me help you." The Doctor paused. "What do you say?"

Caan was silent for a second before he screeched, "Emergency Temporal Shift!" and disappeared, only leaving wires behind. The Doctor growled lowly and Violet took his hand in a silent apology.

"Doctor! Doctor! He's sick!" Martha shouted, appearing with Tallulah, both of them supporting Lazlo, who was breathing heavily. The lowered him onto the floor, and Tallulah held him in her arms.

"It's okay. You're all right." Martha reassured him. Violet and the Doctor approached them. "It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it." She told them.

"What is it, Doctor?" Tallulah asked frightfully. "What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?"

"It's time, sweetheart." Lazlo wheezed.

"What do you mean 'time'? What are you talking about?" She frowned.

"None of the slaves survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now… I'm dyin', Tallulah." He confessed.

"No you're not. Not now, after all this." She turned to the Time Lords. "Can't you do somethin'?"

"Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H- just you watch." The Doctor stood up and threw away his coat. Violet saw the determination in his eyes and smiled when he looked at her. She could have helped him- in fact, she could have probably done it more efficiently- but she knew that he needed to do it.

"What do we need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, we've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on." The Doctor started running about, fixing up a cure, making Martha smile.

"There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one!" He paused. "Tallulah, out of the way." He took out his stethoscope and put it on.

"The Doctor is in."

The Doctor, Violet, Martha, Tallulah and Lazlo were waiting in Central Park when Frank returned.

"Well I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em." Frank smiled.

"What did they say?" The Doctor asked.

"They said yes." Tallulah hugged Lazlo tearfully. "They'll give you a home, Lazlo. I mean, uh, don't imagine people ain't gonna stare. I can't promise you'll be at peace but, in the end, that is what Hooverville is for, people who ain't got nowhere else."

"Thank you. I- I can't thank you enough." Lazlo said genuinely and hugged Tallulah once more.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor sat down next to Violet, who was sitting by the open door of the TARDIS, looking into space.

"What for?" She asked distantly, concentrating on the stars.

"The Daleks killed you because you took my place." He said gravely.

Violet looked up at his pained expression. "They would have killed you." She told him softly, trying to stop him from blaming himself, but instead, he just changed topics.

"How did you come back?" He questioned curiously.

Violet sighed and leant her head on his shouler. "I told you, Theta. They changed my whole biology."

"But how does it work? Do you just... never regenerate?" He frowned.

"No, I do." She took a breath before she launched into explaination. "When a Dalek shoots me, the damage is spread around my whole body. It's supposed to heal before it kills me, but they shot me thrice and the damage was too much. So instead, my body repaired itself while I was dead and then started up my hearts again."

"Does it hurt?" The Doctor asked quietly.

Violet hesitated before nodding. "Terribly." She whispered.

"How many times have you died?"

"It doesn't matter." She ignored the look the Doctor was giving her. "You should sleep."

He sighed. "So should you."

"You were electrocuted."

"You died."

"Touché." They looked at each other for a second before grin broke out on the Doctor's face, making Violet laugh a little.

"You still have to sleep, though." She pointed out.

"Yes, mother." He joked.

Violet slapped him on the arm before looking at him seriously. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." He said lightly, wearing a strained smile.

"Please don't lie to me." She whispered, her eyes pleading.

"Sorry... Force of habit." He said honestly.

"It shouldn't have to be, Theta. Don't hide how you feel." She put hand on top of his. "Not from me, anyway."

He looked at their hands and intertwined their fingers gently before speaking. "I won't."

Violet smiled at that before getting up, pulling the Doctor with her. "So, we've got the whole of time and space to see. Where next?"


	13. The Lazarus Experiment

"There we go- perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot." The Doctor fiddled with a few more things on the controls after they had landed.

"It would be easy if you had passed your test." Violet laughed.

Martha completely disregarded her. "You should be used to tight spots by now." She teased the Doctor. "Where are we?"

"The end of the line." He said vaguely. As Martha rushed to the doors excitedly, he added, "No place like it."

Martha shot a look towards him and, when he nodded, opened the door. She stepped out and looked around in disappointment. "Home. You took me home?" She asked, annoyed and ready to bet that Violet had something to do with it.

"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really." The Doctor stepped out and began assessing her room.

"But all the stuff we've done- Shakespeare, New New York, old New York..." Martha trailed off.

"Yep, all in one night- relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was- books, CDs," He picked up lingerie from a drying rack. "Laundry." He added. Martha snatched it out of his hands, embarrassed.

"So, back were you were, as promised." The Doctor said.

Martha raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "This is it?" She asked as Violet walked out of the TARDIS and looked around the room.

"Yeah, I should probably…um-" The Doctor was interrupted as Martha's phone started ringing.

The answering machine picked up.

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?"

"It's Mum. It'll wait." She dismissed.

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like. I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested."

Martha looked surprised and turned on the TV.

"The details are top secret-" An old man said. A young woman, which Violet assumed to be Tish, stood behind the man.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" She frowned.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device-"

"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab." Martha explained.

"…with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human."

Martha switched off the TV, not noticing that Violet and the Doctor were both staring at it.

"Sorry. You were saying we should...?" Martha questioned.

The Doctor tore his gaze away from the screen. "Yes, yes, we should. One trip is what we said."

"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of… escalated." Martha smiled.

"Mmm. Seems to happen to me a lot." He looked over at Violet, who was still frowning at the TV.

Martha ignored the fact that he was looking right past her. "Thank you. For everything." She said genuinely.

"It was my pleasure." The Doctor returned her smile before motioning at Violet to step into the TARDIS. He followed her and closed the door, turning to Violet.

"Where to now?" He asked, already moving them into the Vortex.

"2007 is a really boring year." She stated. "Well, not really. I mean, they found a 2100 year old melon in Japan, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out and humans tried for the Martian north pole, but no one majorly changed the course of history." She gave the Doctor a look, and both started bringing the TARDIS back to Martha's room, a second after they left.

They both burst out of the doors as soon as they landed.

"No, sorry. Did he say he's going to change what it means to be human?"

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS in a black suit and a bow tie, fussing around with his cuffs.

"Why can't I just wear my suit?" He whined.

"Tish said it's strictly black tie." Martha- who was wearing a simple, dark dress- tried to be stern, but ended up just marvelling at how he looked in the suit.

"I can wear a black tie with my suit, it's probably more-" The Doctor stopped talking as Violet stepped into the room. She was wearing a dress in a shade of stormy grey that clung to her tightly before, at the waist, falling loosely to mid-thigh, showing off her long legs.

She gave the Doctor a once-over and sighed, going over to fix his bow tie. "You've had enough time to learn how to do up a bow tie, you know."

He looked stunned for a second before replying. "I don't like bow ties."

"Neither do you like pears, you still know how to eat one." She countered, grinning.

"That's different! You eat a-"

Martha cleared her throat rather intentionally, making the Time Lords turn to her.

"We should probably get going. The venue isn't far from here, we can walk." She told them before heading out of her flat.

"Oh, black tie. Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens." The Doctor commented.

"Don't blame the outfit, it's you. It's like you have a sign on your head that says 'Looking for trouble'." Violet lauged.

"Actually, I think it just says 'Time Lord'." He grinned at her, taking her hand.

Martha frowned at their familiarity before interrupting. "I think it suits you. In a James Bond kind of way." She complimented.

"James Bond?" He said defensively, before changing his mind. "Really?"

Violet groaned. "Thanks, Martha. Just push his ego even further into sky while I try to keep it at a semi-decent level."

"Are you calling me egoistic?"

"I'm calling you cocky." Violet laughed at his dumbfounded expression as they came up to the fancy enterance of Lazarus Laboratories.

They stepped into the main reception room where guests were already gathered in expensive clothing and holding some probably even more expensive flutes of champagne. A caterer walked by with a tray and the Doctor excitedly took some hors d'ouvres off of it.

"Oh, look, they've got nibbles! I love nibbles!" He grinned, shoving one into his mouth.

"You silly man." Violet shook her head but smiled anyway.

"Hello!" Tish, who had been on TV earlier, approached them.

"Tish!" Martha exclaimed.

The sisters hugged. "You look great." Tish commented. "So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

"Very." Martha nodded, the Doctor standing beside the sisters while Violet inconspiciously looked at the guest list in Tish's arms from over her shouler.

"And two nights out in a row for you- that's dangerously close to a social life." Her sister joked.

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns."

"You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum- she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her." Tish told her.

Martha raised her eyebrows. "Leo in black tie? That I must see."

Tish looked over at the Doctor and Violet and Martha remembered to introduce them.

"This is, uh, the Doctor." She motioned to him before pointing to Violet. "That's Violet."

"Hello." The Doctor said while he shook Tish's hand.

"Is he with you?" She asked Martha.

"Yeah."

"But he's not on the list. How did he get in?" Tish questioned.

Martha looked at her in disbelief. "He's my plus one."

"Alright." Tish let it go and shook Violet's hand as well. "Hello." She greeted her before looking down at her list. "You're not on here either, though."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've come instead of my aunt, Jaqueline Darrington. She couldn't make it tonight." Violet lied smoothly. Tish looked down at her list once again before accepting the answer.

"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" The Doctor asked.

"Professor Lazarus, yes. I'm part of his executive staff." Tish said proudly.

"She's in the PR department." Martha down-played it.

"I'm head of the PR department, actually."

Martha gaped. "You're joking."

"I put this whole thing together."

The Doctor ignored the sister's squabble. "So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator." He looked at the machine in the centre of the room. It was a capsule, probably big enough to hold one person- three at the very most, Violet noted- with four white pillars surrounding it and coming together at the top.

"He's a science geek. I should've known." Tish said, disappointed. "Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later."

After Tish left, the Doctor turned to Martha. "Science geek? What does that mean?"

"That you're obsessively enthusiastic about it." She answered.

"Oh, nice." He grinned, genuinely proud of the fact. They were just about to go look at the machine when Martha's mother and brother approached them.

"Martha!" Francine called out to her daughter.

"Mum!" Martha gave her a hug.

Francine looked stunned at the display of affection. "Oh. Alright, what's the occasion?"

"What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night." The mother stated.

"I know. I just… missed you. You're looking good, Leo." Martha hit her brother on the chest lightly.

"Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for them." He winked at Violet, who was standing behind Martha. She laughed, causing Francine to notice the Time Lords.

"This is a friend of mine- the Doctor. And she's Violet." Martha introduced them.

"Doctor what?" Her mother demanded.

"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together." Martha said while Leo shook the Doctor's hand.

"Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you." The Doctor held out his hand.

"Have you?" Francine raised her eyebrows. "What have you heard, then?"

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and…um… No, actually, that's…that's about it." He stuttered. "We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy."

"Busy? Doing what, exactly?"

Violet took that as her cue to step in. "I'm sorry, Miss Jones, he's a lot better with science than he is with words, I promise." She smiled a little when she saw the Doctor pout like a little boy. "Violet Stewart, lovely to meet you."

Before Francine could reply, a tap on a glass made the crowd grow silent and face the old man standing proudly before his machine.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."

Lazarus opened the door of the capsule and posed for the flashing camera lights one more time before stepping inside and closing the door behind him. The Doctor and Violet exchanged worried looks as a high-pitched whirring sounded as the pillars around the capsule started spinning, emitting a bright blue light which had everyone shielding their eyes.

The spinning began to increase in speed, creating a force field, when an alarms sounded.

"Something's wrong. It's overloading." The Doctor stated as Violet ran over to the desk, seeing the technicians struggle with the controls, which had started to smoke and give off sparks. She flicked a few switches before pointing her sonic at the panel.

"Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!" An elderly but rather pompous-looking lady yelled.

The Doctor looked over at her disbelievingly. "If this thing goes off, it'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" He shouted, watching Violet put her sonic away and pull at a chord, removing it from the power outlet.

"Pulling out the plug," She laughed a little, swinging the chord. "Never has failed me."

The Doctor grinned a little before turning back to the machine. "Get it open!" He yelled and Martha instantly jumped into action, ripping open the capsule door.

Through a cloud of smoke, Lazarus appeared. He looked at least fourty years younger, and photographers went mad as he touched his face, amazed that it had worked. He stepped out of the capsule fully, stumbling a little.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!" He held out his arms triumphantly, and the crowd clapped while the trio of time travellers looked on, worried.

It was a little later when Lazarus had busied himself with the crowd. Violet and the Doctor examined the machine while Martha watched.

"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." She stared at the now-young man.

"Oh, it's not a trick." The Doctor looked from the machine to her. "I wish it were."

"What just happened, then?" She demanded.

Violet stood up from her crouched position and smoothed out her dress. "He just changed what it means to be human."

"But, can he do that? I mean, is that like... allowed?" Martha asked cluelessly.

Violet looked ovet to Lazarus, seeing him crack his neck and grab a tray from a passing waiter. "Let's go and find out." She suggested, already walking over.

"I'm famished." He said, but his voice was muffled by the hors d'oeuvres he was shovelling into his mouth.

"Energy deficit. Always happens with this kind of process." The Doctor said lightly.

Lazarus turned to him in surprise. "You speak as if you see this every day, Mr..."

"Doctor. And, well, no, not every day, but we," He gestured at him and Violet. "Have some experience in this kind of transformation."

"That's not possible." He shook his head almost condencendingly.

Violet looked back at the machine. "Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's- that's inspired." She admitted.

"You understand the theory, then."

She raised her eyebrows at the way he stood up straighter, as if to protect his pride. "Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables." She said.

"No experiment is entirely without risk." He dismissed.

"That thing nearly exploded." The Doctor frowned at his state of ignorance. "You might as well have stepped into a blender."

Violet laughed quietly. "Great metaphor." She told him sarcastically under her breath.

"You're not qualified to comment." The woman standing beside Lazarus sneered.

"I think you'll find that we're more qualified than most people in this room." Violet retorted in the same tone, not liking the woman.

"If I hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded." The Doctor added.

"Then I thank you, Doctor. But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less." Lazarus denied.

Martha joined the conversation. "You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests!" She exclaimed.

He laughed. "Look at me! You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." The woman added smugly.

"Commercially?! You are joking. That'll cause chaos." Martha protested.

"Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve." Lazarus mused, making Violet scoff.

"No, this is about someone wanting to hang on to their fortune just a little longer."

"Not a little longer, dear." He said as if looking down at her. "A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

Violet searched his face for a second before turning away from him bluntly and standing beside the Doctor. She was repulsed.

"Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs." The woman demanded with a pointed look.

Lazarus nodded and went to walk away, but turned back. "Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were." He smiled and took Martha's hand, kissing it before he turned to Violet.

"It's such a shame that your beauty is wasted in those closed-minded thoughts. You're intelligent- you could do so much with yourself." He grinned and walked off.

Violet stared after him. "He just called me closed-minded." She stated, completely incredulous. "Bloody idiot. Doesn't even realise what he's done to himself." She muttered. "He's gone ahead and changed his entire biology."

He nodded. "We need to find out what exactly happened to his body. If only we had a DNA sample..." He trailed off, deep in thought. Violet cleared her throat, catching his attention, and pointed at Martha's hand.

His face lit up. "Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star." He breathed and the three of them went off to find a lab, which Martha giddy at the compliment.

They didn't have much trouble finding an empty one since they were all shut down for the party going on downstairs, so minutes later, the two Time Lords and Martha sat before a computer in a darkened lab and stared at the results of the DNA test.

"Amazing." Violet breathed.

Martha looked at her in confusion, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "What?"

"Lazarus's DNA." The Doctor answered for her.

"I can't see anything different." She frowned, feeling kind of left out.

"Look at it!" He exclaimed, just as the the image of Lazarus' DNA structure flickered.

"Oh, my God! Did that just change?" Martha asked, horrified. "But it can't have!"

"But it did." The Doctor and Violet looked more intrigued than worried as they continued staring.

"It's impossible." Martha stated blandly.

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight. Don't you love it when that happens?" He grinned.

"But that means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns." Martha still looked shocked, as if seeing aliens, watching people die and travelling in time was nothing compared to a man who had changed his DNA.

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilise the cell structure, then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands." Violet muttered.

When the Doctor noticed Martha's confused face, he dumbed it down a bit. "Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate."

Violet nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Still not used to having the simplicity of a human mind around." She said off-handedly.

Martha glared openly at her. "Are you calling me simple?"

"No. Well, yeah. But it's not bad- quite refreshing, actually. It's nice to have a reason to say these things." She explained.

"Doesn't change the fact that you called me stupid- twice!" She argued, not understanding the woman that had been lonely and trapped inside her own mind for so long.

Violet sighed and gave the Doctor a wary look, and he could see the sadness hidden just underneath the surface of her resolve. He looked at her apologetically before changing the topic, turning back to the screen.

"Lazarus missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him." He explained.

"Change him into what?" Martha frowned.

"He unlocked genes that were lying dormant." Violet started. "Like, ideas nature had for the human race but were rejected. They don't get erased, they're hidden right in the pit of your anatomy, waiting. Take the right amount of genius combined with unlimited recklessness and a fear of death, and you get yourself a Richard Lazarus." She said quickly. "Now come on, we don't know how dangerous he is."

Martha cooperated, but only because lives were possibly at stake. "That woman said they were going upstairs."

"Let's go!" The Doctor ran for the lift and the two women ran after him, Violet re-locking the door after them.

Lazarus' office was darkened, but some screens showed his logo. Except from a persian rug, a wooden desk and a model of a church, the room was sterile and unwelcoming, looking a little to large to be comfortable.

"This is his office, all right." Martha stated, looking around.

"So, where is he?"

"Dunno. Let's try back at the re… ception..." Martha trailed off with a horrified look on her face as she looked over the desk, seeing a pair of skeletal bones- wearing high heels.

"Is that Lady Thaw?" Martha gasped as she rushed over.

"Used to be." The Doctor said. "Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out- like squeezing the juice out of an orange."

"Lazarus." She breathed.

"Could be."

"So he's changed already?" She aked.

"Not necessarily, you saw the DNA. It was fluctuating." He explained before looking over at Violet to see what she thought.

She nodded. "The process must demand energy and this might not have been enough."

"So he might do this again?" The horrified look returned to Martha's face.

"It's very probable." Violet confirmed, her face mirroring the Doctor's. Both were interested, intrigued at the phenomenon, rather than concerned. Still, they rushed off to the lifts, and once they got back into the reception, they ran into Martha's family.

"Hey, you all right, Martha?" Leo asked. "I think Mum wants to talk to you."

Martha ignored the statement. "Have you see Lazarus anywhere?"

"Yeah. He was getting' cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago." He nodded, taking a sip of his champagne.

"With Tish?!" She exclaimed, suddenly very worried.

Just then, Francine joined them. "Ah, Doctor-" She started, but the Doctor interrupted her.

"Where did they go?" He demanded.

Leo looked a little confused, but answered anyway. "Upstairs I think, why?"

"Doctor-" Francine tried again, but the Doctor rushed past her and spilled the drink she was holding. Martha followed him blindly, but Violet gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, he's... a little over-enthusiastic sometimes."

Francine was about to reply, but the Doctor called for Violet.

"You'd think I'm a maid." She grinned a little before running off after her two companions and back into the lift, where Martha was already panicking.

"What if he got her?" She worried, bouncing on her feet anxiously.

"I'm sure she's fine." Violet said, glancing at Martha's fingers, which she was tapping against her side, making the Time Lords in the lift with her nervous as well.

Martha glared. "How do you know that?! Not that you care, anyway- you're too fascinated to see the danger of all this!" She shouted, still tapping her fingers in a steady, four-beat rhythm. Violet flinched at the memories of that exact beat before the doors of the lift opened. She bounded out, taking a breath.

"Where are they?" Martha returned to her worrying.

"Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signature. I might be able to pick it up." The Doctor held out his sonic while it beeped, moving it around and making the beeping increase as he pointed it at the ceiling. "Got him."

"Where?" Martha exclaimed. "This is the top floor- where are they?!"

"Roof!" Violet stated, already heading up some stairs.

They made it up onto the roof just in time to overhear Lazarus quote 'The Hollow Men' by T.S. Eliot.

"'Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act-'"

"'Falls the shadow.'" Violet finished for him, stepping forward.

Lazarus and Tish, who stood over-looking the city, turned around. "So the mysterious lady knows her Eliot. I'm impressed." He smiled.

Violet narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh, right. Because I'm close-minded, aren't I?"

"Does it offend you to hear someone tell you the truth?" Lazarus taunted while Martha got Tish away from him.

"If it's not the truth, how can it hurt me?" Violet retorted cooly. "Besides, Lazarus, I think you're the one with truth issues. The biggest part of life is death- you know that." She slowly circled the man, provoking him. "Do you remember? 76 years old- you must have been just a little boy, lonely and afraid, hiding from the blitz. All the people that died around you. How did you feel, hm? Seeing all those deaths while you lived... It made you who you are, didn't it? A man so scared of death that he changed what it means to be human. Are you proud, Lazarus?"

Due to his growing anger, the man tripled in size and converted into a monster. His expanded skeleton pressed against his skin, stretching it as a skorpion's stings grew out of him. He growled at Violet, and the Doctor sprung into action, pulling her away from Lazarus.

"Run!" He yelled. They ran out of the door and Violet sealed the door with her sonic behind her.

"Typically primitive. Slightest bit of anger and he literally turns into a monster." She spoke out loud, not talking to anyone in particular.

"Will you stop being so excited about this?!" Martha shouted at her again.

"Right, sorry." She mumbled just as a siren sounded. The lights above them turned off and all exits closed, leaving a computerised voice chanting,

"Security breach. Security breach. Security beach."

"What's happening?" Martha screeched in panic, hearing Lazarus trying to break down the door.

Tish thought for a moment, frantically recalling the emergency protocols. "Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown."

"Kills most of the power, stops the lifts and seals the exits." Violet finished. After trying her sonic on a door, she looked up and saw three confused faces looking at her. "Hacked your protocols, sorry." There was a banging on the door again. "He's going to be inside soon. We need to get everyone out."

"Stairs!" The Doctor shouted and the four of them ran down, hearing the heavy door open with a crash.

"He's inside!" Martha yelled.

"Haven't got much time!" He replied in the same tone as they made it into the reception. "Tish! Is there another way out of here?" He asked her.

"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now." She pointed at a door and the Doctor threw his sonic at Martha.

"Martha, setting 54. Hurry." She did as she was told and ran off. Tish went to follow her, but Violet pulled out her sonic too, fumbling with it and handing it to her.

"Just push the button and point it at the controls. We need some power." Tish nodded obediently, too scared to protest. She ran off, and the Doctor jumped up onto the platform before Lazarus' machine.

"Listen to me! Your people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!" He shouted.

A woman snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." She waved him off, making Violet growl.

"If it's me shoving that olive down your throat, then may the stars help you." She replied fiercely.

There was a sound of glass crashing, and the altered version of Lazarus appeared. Screams errupted from the crowd and everyone started running for the doors, which Martha was still trying to open. The beast clambered down the stairs, sending tables flying with his sting and hitting people.

Just as the doors opened and people started rushing out, Lazarus went for the woman who had made the olive comment. She just stood before it and gazed at it- whether in shock or amazement couldn't be told.

"No! Get away from her!" The Doctor shouted, but Lazarus latched himself onto the woman and the Time Lords had to watch as she fell to the ground as a shell, dead and drained.

He went for Leo and Francine next, who were sitting on the ground, the mother nursing Leo who appeared to have hit his head. Violet noticed this.

"Lazarus! Come on, big fella!" She yelled, getting his attention.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor hissed.

Violet smiled a little, her eyes still trained on the beast. "Hoping I haven't lost my touch in a century and a half." She said before facing Lazarus.

"So!" She started. "You want to live forever, but guess what? You can't! The mutation's too strong and you're left killing all these people! What makes you better than the bombers, hm? Do you remember? Come on! You're a failure, Lazarus, but it's worse than that. You're a murderer!" She shouted before turning back to the Doctor.

"Fancy a run?" They ran off as Lazarus chased after them, his footsteps loud on the marble floor.

They eventually found a service hall, filled with pipes and wires and started creeping through it silently.

"It's no good, Doctor. You can't stop me." Lazarus hissed.

"Is that the same arrogance you had when you swore nothing had gone wrong with your device?" He retorted.

"The arrogance is yours. You can't stand in the way of progress."

Violet scoffed. "The people you killed... They were innocent. You're so scared of death, but yet you bring it yourself. You honestly call that progress?"

"They were a necessary sacrifice." Lazarus replied.

Violet was silent for a second. "No one gets to decided who lives and who dies. That's not how it works." She said finally. In a way, she could relate to him. He may have been delusional, but he was scared and he acted upon it. He was confused and didn't know the line between right and wrong.

Just like she had been. She had wandered through the stars and killed on command, never questioning justice, not once. She didn't understand what she was, but she was so scared. Alone. It brought out a completely different level of genius from within her.

Suddenly, the lights returned and the Time Lords' hiding place wasn't very safe anymore. They heard a familiar breathing sound and looked up.

"Peek-a-boo." Lazarus breathed.

"Oh, hello." The Doctor greeted sarcastically.

"If you don't mind, we'll be off. There's a party going on, after all." Violet grinned at the beast before she and the Doctor ran out of the room.

They went down a staircase and found another empty lab. They ducked inside and the Doctor started fumbling with the battery of a fire alarm while Violet turned on all the gas jets.

"It's not gonna be enough, you know that, don't you?" Violet said lowly as he pulled her down underneath a desk upon hearing Lazarus bring down the door.

"I know, it should give us a few seconds, thought." He whispered.

"How quickly can you reverse polarity without a sonic?" Violet asked, an idea springing into her mind.

"Ooh, not sure. It's been a while, I'm quite dependant on that scredriver." Violet sighed at that, about to reply, but Lazarus spoke.

"More hide-and-seek, Doctor? How disappointing. Why don't you both come out and face me?" He hissed menacingly.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" He asked, pulling Violet up with him. "Why would I wanna face that, hm?"

The both ran from the room, him flicking a switch as the left, causing the room behind them to go up in a fiery explosion.

"We need to get downstairs!" Violet yelled just before they ran into Martha.

The Doctor grabbed her shoudlers. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm returning this." She held out the Doctor's sonic. "I thought you might need it." She smiled a little.

"How did you-"

Martha cut him off. "I heard the explosion. Guessed it was you."

"I blasted Lazarus." He explained.

Violet sighed. "Listen, really sorry to interrupt catch-up time, but we need to move." She looked down the hallway, seeing Lazarus crawl down it rampantly. "Now!" She pushed her companions to move, and they did so, running into the reception room.

"What now? We've just gone 'round in a circle!" Martha shouted, scared.

"How fast are you with a sonic?" Violet asked the Doctor anxiously.

"I dunno!" He ran a hand through his hair. "A minute? Two?"

"That's really not good enough, mister." She held out her hand. "Pass it here."

He threw the sonic to her and she ushered them into Lazarus' machine, where they were pressed together tightly, the Doctor with his chest to Violet's and Martha standing awkwardly between them, facing the Doctor.

"I guessed right. Three people exactly." She breathed.

Martha grimaced. "Are we hiding?"

"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us." The Doctor guessed.

"Do you even have a plan?" She asked, exasperated.

Violet scoffed. "He never has a plan. Why do you think he keeps me around?" She flipped the sonic in her hand and crouched down.

"Nice shoes, Martha. Having fun running in them?" She comented sarcastically, glancing at her three-inch heels.

"Your's are higher than mine!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I once spent months on a planet where the idealism of beauty was height. Trust me, five inches are nothing compared to that." She said conversationally as she opened a hatch, which held wires of all sorts. "Spent a lot of time running, there. The boy just had to upset the empress- he told her she looked like a giraffe, and let me tell you: She really had a thing against giraffes." She muttered, pointing the Doctor's sonic at a paticular pair of wires, binding them together.

Martha looked at the Doctor. "What did you do that for?" She joked, but he just frowned.

"No, not me." He gave Violet a curious look. "Was that... was it before the Time War?" He asked.

"I don't think intergalactic weapons are supposed to have lo- friends, no." Violet corrected, glancing at her dainty, silver bracelet with a feeling of nostalgia.

"Sorry. Really, I'm sorry." The Doctor let out a breath, mentally slapping himself for being so careless.

"I told you to stop with the apologies, didn't I?" She smiled a little, again focusing on the wires. She was just taking off the cap of one, when the capsule was filled with blue light and a high-pitched whirring once again.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Martha, who the Time Lords had completely forgotten about for a moment, asked distraughtly.

"He turned the machine on." He stated.

"Adnd what are we doing about it?" Martha screeched, thinking about how the machine had overloaded earlier.

"Violet is setting the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it." He explained, calming her down.

"Will that kill him?" Martha asked, but didn't get an answer as the whirring was replaced by a blast and a crash. Silence fell and the lights in the capsule dimmed again. The three of them slowly stepped out.

"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity." The Doctor teased Violet.

She slapped his arm. "Shouldn't have distracted me then. I could have been done before he had turned the machine on!"

"It wasn't my fault! You started it with her," He pointed at Martha. "Shoes!"

"I'm still blaming you." She laughed before turning to see Lazarus. He lay on the floor, naked and completely still.

"Oh God. He seems so… human again. It's kind of pitiful." Martha said sympathetically, looking at the man.

"Eliot saw that, too." The Doctor said seriously. 'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a-'"

"Whimper." Violet finished for him, feeling a little guilty. He saw that and took her hand, squeezing it.

"It's not your fault. He was going to eat us." He joked a little, but Violet frowned.

"Doesn't everyone?" She asked rhetorically, watching paramedics come in to take the body, putting it on a stretcher and covering it. The Doctor, Martha and Violet followed them outside, the Doctor undoing his bowtie as he stared after Lazarus solemnly.

Their view, however, was obstructed by Martha's family. Tish ran up to Martha and hugged her, while Francine strode up the Doctor, fuming.

Typically, he didn't notice this and greeted her warmly. "Ah, Mrs Jones, we still haven't finished our chat."

"Brace yourself." Violet muttered just before Francine slapped him across the face, the impact sounding loudly on the street.

"Keep away from my daughter." She hissed before getting into an argument with Martha.

Violet reached up and inspected his cheek, humour in her eyes. "Always their mothers, every time." The Doctor complained, clutching his face

"Oh, you had it coming." She said lightly, running her hand over the red mark. "And besides- it's not that bad, you wuss."

He looked like he was going to say something, but stopped himself and stared into Violet's dark brown eyes just a little longer, seeing all the pain and grief in them. He couldn't help it- he flinched, and she dropped her hand instantly.

"Sorry, I forget." She mumbled. When the Doctor was about to ask 'what', but a loud crash came from down the street, and they immediately set off towards it.

"Looks like the night isn't over yet." Violet sighed.

They had found out that Lazarus wasn't dead, after all, and had traced him to a church- also known as Southwalk Cathederal, as Tish had informed them.

The catherderal was dark, the only light and sound emitting from the Doctor's screwdriver as the three women- Violet, Martha and Tish- followed him.

"Do you think he's in here?" Martha looked around, not believing that a monster would hide in a church.

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?" The Doctor replied quietly, looking around as they walked down the aisle between the benches, Tish and Martha now flanking the Time Lords walking side-by-side. They moved around the altar slowly, the sonic still beeping, but the Doctor put it away once he saw Lazarus sitting on the ground, gasping, with a red ambulance blanket around his otherwise naked body.

He sensed them standing there and started speaking. "I came here before. A lifetime ago. I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child… the sound of planes and bombs outside." He said with a deep sorrow in his voice- one that Violet understood very well.

"The Blitz." She stated quietly.

Lazarus scoffed slightly. "You've read about it."

"Oh no. I was there, I lived through the bombings and the screaming. So many people screaming." Her voice broke, but it wasn't over the Blitz, not really. She thought of the planets that had screamed under her wrath- the one she had showed no mercy to.

"You're too young." He retorted.

A smile graced Violet's face. "So are you."

Lazarus laughed, but his chuckle turned into a gasp of pain and he continued with his story. "In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again." He spoke more to Violet than the rest of them now, and the Doctor looked up at the bell tower, coming up with a plan as Lazarus talked.

"So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it." He hissed.

"That's what you wanted today to be." Violet stated.

"That's what I did today." He corrected.

Violet frowned. "But you wanted to defeat death." She crouched down next to Lazarus, ignoring the Doctor's warning looks. "The people you killed today. They're dead. If you want to defeat death, you can't stay like this- it won't get better." She said softly.

"They were nothing." He spat. "I changed the course of history."

Violet sighed and leant against the altar. "You did. But is it the right course?" She questioned. "People die. People we care for, ones we love- they die. And as much as it hurts- no matter for badly your heart is shredded- it makes you who you are. Death is always at our side, Lazarus, and eventually it gets us. Sooner or later, everyone dies. Everything that has ever been dies at some point. You just have to accept it."

The Doctor listened to her speak and saw the tears welling in her eyes. He wished he could do something to help her, but he knew it was his fault. No matter what Violet said- he had destroyed his own planet, he was the reason she was in pain.

"I don't. Our greatest instinct is to survive, to live on. I won't die, not ever." Lazarus groaned as his body tried to change again and Violet finally looked up at the Doctor, who motioned of the bell tower. Violet knew what he meant, but Lazarus would die. Another human being, only driven by his fear, would die and the weight would be added to the tons that were already on her shoulders.

She sighed. She couldn't help him, not anymore. He was too far gone to be changed back. With another look at the man in pain, she gave in.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if it's worth it." She mused.

Lazarus gasped in pain again. "How do you mean?" He asked.

"Long life- possible immortality. You get sick of watching people wither and die. That's all that's left, after a while. Death. Your loved ones die and you end up alone, always. Why would you want that?"

"That's a price worth paying." He said after contemplating for a bit, and Violet knew she was breaking him.

"Is it?" Violet asked, a sadness overcoming her. What was holding her alive? "What's so good that you would want that?"

He was silent for a second. "I don't know." He admitted lowly.

"Then let me help you." Violet leaned forward, looking at Lazarus pleadingly.

"You can't do anything for me." He growled before doubling over in pain.

"I can take it away, Lazarus. You don't want this- not immortality. Not forever." She gave him a meaningful look.

"You'd have to kill me."

Violet stood up. "It's the only thing I can do for you right now. I can't reverse the changes in your DNA, I'm sorry."

"I won't die!" He snarled.

She smirked, a taunting look on her face. "Then stop me."

Lazarus jumped up, and Violet ran for the door of the stairway leading to the bell tower. Martha looked at her retreating figure and jumped up, following her. She wasn't going to let Violet play hero.

When Violet heard footsteps behind her, she looked back and saw both Martha and Tish following her.

"What are you doing?" She yelled.

"Helping you!" Martha said with a glare.

Violet growled, but started running again. "You're no good if you're dead, are you?" She muttered, picking up in speed when she heard a growl, one that notifed them that Lazarus had changed again.

The Doctor looked after the three women in disbelief before running to the large pipe organ and pulled out his sonic, jamming it into a slot in the organ. "Hypersonic sound waves. Inspired." He grinned and started pulling out the stops.

At the top of the bell tower, Lazarus swung at Martha with his sting, but Violet shoved her out of the way. This, however, resulted in her getting hit instead, and Tish screamed when she saw the girl fall to the ground unconcious.

The Doctor's grin faded when he heard a woman's scream and stretched his fingers.

"I hope it's good acoustic in here." He commented before putting his fingers on the keys and playing. He played for a bit, but when the sound didn't have the desired effect, he pulled his sonic out of the slot and pointed it at the volume display of the organ.

"We need to turn this up to 11." He said to himself and started playing again, this time a lot louder. He hit the keys slightly frantically, worried for the women up above.

When a thud echoed throughout the cathederal, the Doctor stopped playing and looked down at Lazarus in human form, lying naked with some wooden debris around him.

He heard another scream and looked upwards. "Violet? Martha?!" He called out. There was a worrying silence for a second.

"I'm okay!" Came the reply from Martha. "We're both okay!" The Doctor let out a sigh of relief and went down to check on Lazarus. He knelt down by the body, regretul that it had to come to something like that, and closed the body's eyes, watching it become old again.

He heard a gasp and turned to look at Martha, who ran up to hug him tightly.

"I didn't know you could play!" She said once she let go of him.

He was about to crack a joke, but he saw Tish approaching them and realised Violet was missing. "Where is she?"

"Lazarus hit her. She's... unconcious in the bell tower." Tish said quietly, feeling guilty when she saw the concern and pain etched into his face.

"And you left her up there?!" The Doctor shouted, suddenly enraged. "You just... oh, humans! Always-"

"It's not her fault." He was cut off by a voice, hoarse but firm. He looked over to where it had come from and saw Violet leaning heavily against the door leading to the bell tower, as if she would fall from her weight in any second.

He left out a long breath in relief and went to hug her, not missing the exhausted look on her face. He held onto her for a bit, feeling Violet wrap her arms him before she passed out again.

The Doctor looked down at her serene face and sighed deeply. "Let's get you into bed, hm?" He mumbled even though she couldn't hear him.

Violet awoke from the motion of being placed somewhere warm and soft and immediately felt a mental tug from the TARDIS, which sent her into conciousness- barely.

"Theta?" She whispered and slowly opened her eyes to see him, looking extremely relieved.

"I'm here." He smiled a little. "You need to get some sleep." He said softly and went for the door, but Violet used any remainder of strength she might have had left to grab his wrist.

"Don't make Martha go." She mumbled, sleep threatening to pull her under.

"All those petty human emotions..." He mused in a mix of admiration and resentment.

"Sometimes you're more human than you would like to think." Violet replied gently. "Don't make her go- she's good for you. You need someone human..." She trailed off as she got too tired to speak and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly.

Violet didn't sleep well. Her facing the Daleks and dying was just a little too similar to her memories of the Time War, and her subconcious decided to torture her with them as she rested.

She was reliving the moments of her greatest wrath- the times when all she was was fury, rage and pain. She was forced to watch dozens upon dozens of planets burn and scream, she was made to feel the guilt she hadn't felt then.

She awoke suddenly, taking a deep breath as she sat up and rested her head against her headboard. She had slept for six hours, which was unusually long, but she guessed that Martha would still be sleeping and went to find the Doctor.

As she walked down several corridors, still wearing her grey dress but free of her heels, she contemplated her problem with Martha. It was clear to all that the young Londoner had fallen in love with the Doctor- that was where the problems originated.

It was funny, because he had been right. It was all a bunch of petty, mixed-up human emotions. Martha didn't realise how hurt he was by the loss of Rose, much like she didn't see that Violet was trying to help him get past it, or at least make the pain bearable. He was broken, and she was there for him, trying to fix him- but what Martha didn't (and probably never would understand) was that Violet shared the same pain. They both had gaping wounds ripped into their hearts, and sometimes it was insufferable and could only be soothed by the knowledge that they weren't alone.

"Violet?" The Doctor snapped her out of her train of thought, and she realised she was already standing in the control room.

"That's me." She smiled weakly, her thoughts weighing her down as she looked at the Time Lord and saw all the pain his eyes held.

"How do you feel?" He asked, coming to stand before her. Instead of a reply, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her face into his shoulderand she felt the Doctor put his arms around her waist and heard his hearts beat steadily in sync with hers. She was comfortable.

"I didn't take Martha home." The Doctor stated quietly. "I was going to- I didn't think I wanted another human on board, not after what happened to Rose."

"I know it hurts, Theta- and I can't promise you it'll get any better- but eventually you'll see past the mourning. One day you'll start to remember the good times you both had, not just the loss and pain." Violet said as he trembled slightly.

"How do you know?" He whispered, and she pulled away from him to look him in the eyes.

"Because I'm always remembering," A stray tear made it's way down her face silently. "And that's what keeps me going."

The Doctor pulled her into his arms again, feeling his hearts slowly being ripped apart at seeing Violet so sad. He didn't want her to be in pain and suddenly felt hate towards anyone who had ever made her cry.

After a while, Violet moved out of his embrace with a smile on her face. "So, I'm going to get dressed, and then we'll find some people to save. How about it?" She suggested cheerfully.

He laughed. "Oh yes!"


	14. Human Nature

Miss Violet Stewart walked down the path towards 'the Farringham School for Boys' with a young man who carried her luggage. She had been sent for by the headmaster to help out the staff with classes since she was a woman of learning, though she didn't quite understand where she had the exceptional knowledge from- she knew she had studied with her father's money at a very prestigious school, but she only had rough memories of her time there.

Nevertheless, she greeted the headmaster, who promptly ordered the man to bring her bags to her room and escorted her to the first class she would be helping in.

"Ah, Mr John Smith. You might be exactly what he needs, Miss Stewart. That man- perfect knowledge, likely the best I've ever seen in my time- but he's got his head in the clouds. Might need a bit of female company to keep him on task." The headmaster said as they came to a stop outside of Mr Smith's history class.

"I'll try my best, sir." Violet smiled, opening the door to the classroom. She stepped inside, seeing that the boy's eyes were all trained on her as they sat at their single desks with books in front of them.

John, who stood with a book in his hand and a mortat board on his head, hadn't noticed her entry and continued to read out loud.

"...troops had forced them to retreat." He came to a stop as he picked up on the averted attention of his students and looked over at the door.

The young woman stood there, with rather unruly curls but in a neat, white dress. She looked amused as her gaze caught John's.

"Hello, Mr Smith." She greeted him politely. "I'm sure the headmaster alerted you to my presence in your classes. I'm Violet Stewart." She explained.

He looked at her dazedly before quickly regaining his composure. "Ah, yes, of course. Do you have any knowledge of the Battle of Waterloo?" He asked.

"Ah, Napoleon. Europe unites to go against him. We won, which I don't think had something to do with the fact that the Duke of Wellington kept insulting his troops. Rather rude, really." She paused suddenly, realising that words had flown out of her mouth before she had the chance to process them. "Oh, I'm terrible sorry. I just can't stop talking sometimes." She apologised with a small smile on her lips.

"It's quite alright, Miss Stewart." John said with a smile of his own before he turned back to his class. "You're dismissed for today. Off you go!" He shooed them out of the class before asking Violet to walk with him to his study, which she did gladly.

"You look rather familiar to me, Miss Stewart. Have we met before?" John stated curiously.

She shook her head. "I don't think we have, no, but I seem very familiar with me, too. I'd much rather you called me Violet, by the way. I never took a liking to my surname."

They passed into the hallway, where two maids were scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees. One of them was black, and she smiled at John.

"Morning, Sir." She said cheerily before she saw Violet. "Oh, Viol- Miss Stewart."

"Yes, that would be me, hello." She said before joining John again. They went upstairs when Violet heard sudenly ceased laughing, so she excused herself from him to check it out.

"You're not paid to have fun, are you. Put a little backbone into it." She heard Baines, who she had heard about from the headmaster, say.

"Yes Sir, sorry, Sir." The maids nodded.

The boy next to Baines pointed at the maid that had greeted John. "You there, what's your name again?"

"Martha, Sir. Martha Jones." She told him.

"Tell me then, Jones. With hands like those, how can you tell when something's clean?" He sneered, and the boys laughed, walking off.

Violet stepped into view and called them out. "Excuse me, boys."

They turned to look at her. "Yes?"

"I'm sure you've learnt about the American Civil War, haven't you?" She started, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, we have." Baines said nonchalantly.

"Then I suggest you respect what people gave their lives and eventually won for, or I'll be having a word with your father, Baines." She glared.

"Why would my father ever take audience in front of a _woman_?" He said, smirking provocotively.

"I've been under the company of your father quite often, these past few months. There's been quite a few discussions on the best upbringing for unruly boys and I must say- I am rather persuasive." Violet smirked as well, pushing a loose curl out of her face. "And, of course, Misogynists might not be desirable husbands in the future."

Baines and the other boy looked at her in shock before turning away from her with out another word.

"I'm sorry, I wish boys knew how to behave these days. With all that could be, and they act like swine." Violet looked after the boys, sighing.

The white maid nodded. "Just think though. In a few years time boys like that will be running the country." She said.

"Nineteen thirteen. They might not." Martha said quietly, but Violet heard it and smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, I should go and find my room." She walked off, but called, "Have a lovely day, ladies!"

After having found her room, which appeared to be next to John's, she freshened herself up and walked outside to see if she could find him, since she didn't know anyone else at the school.

She walked towards the stairs, but stopped to look at a notice board, where she saw an announcement for an annual dance.

"I wonder if I can dance." She mused quietly, just as a woman in a nurse's uniform appeared beside her along with John.

"Have you seen this, John? The annual dance at the village hall tomorrow. It's nothing formal, but rather fun by all accounts." The woman looked at him hopefully. "Do you think you'll go?"

He, however, was thrown off at the sight of Violet and found himself stammering. "I hadn't thought about it." He finally settled on, glancing at the young woman who watched them amusedly.

"It's been ages since I've been to a dance, only no one's asked me." The nurse laughed nervously.

"Well, I should imagine that you would be... um... I mean I never thought you'd be one for... I mean there's no reason why you shouldn't." He rambled nervously, inching backwards and towards the stairs. "If you do, you may not... I probably won't, but even if I did then I couldn't... um, I mean I wouldn't want to-"

"The stairs." The nurse pointed out, bemused- as was Violet.

"What about the stairs?" He looked at her confusedly.

Violet giggled slightly and pointed at them. "They're right behind you."

When John turned to look at them, he lost his balance and fell backwards, sending the books flying as he thumped down the stairs. The nurse looked at him in concern, but the woman next to her was focused on diminishing her laughter.

Joan, John and Violet were in John's study, the latter looking around the room curiously, picking up a few books here and there as Joan checked the teacher's head.

He winced, but his eyes were trained on Violet as she moved around the room with an air of elegance and an excited smile on her face.

"Stop it." Joan scolded him, trying to act as if she didn't see him staring. "I get boys causing less fuss than this."

"Because it hurts!" He exclaimed sulkily, making Violet turn around to shoot him a smile.

Just then, Martha burst into the room. "Is he alright?" She asked worriedly.

Joan looked at her disapprovingly. "Excuse me, Martha. It's hardly good form to enter a master's study without knocking."

"Sorry, right, yeah." She ran back to the open door and knocked on it before running back to them. "But is he alright? They said you fell down the stairs, Sir."

"No, it was just a tumble, that's all." John muttered, not pleased at the persistance of his staff.

"Have you checked for concussion?" She asked the nurse.

"I have, and I dare say I know a lot more about it than you." She answered condensendingly, and Martha found herself looking at Violet to help her out.

"Mr Smith is fine, Martha." She gave the girl a reassuring smile from where she stood at the bookshelves before turning to Joan. "And I do have to day, Matron- hostility isn't beautiful in any way, you should reconsider."

Martha gave her a grateful look before going about tidying the study.

"I was just telling Matron and Vio- Miss Stewart about my dreams. They are quite remarkable tales." John told them.

"I keep imagining that I'm someone else, and that I'm hiding-"

Joan interrupted him. "Hiding? In what way?"

He laughed nervously. "Well, almost every night- this is going to sound silly-"

"Tell me." Joan insisted.

"I dream, quite often, that I have two hearts." He said finally, and an image sprung in Violet's mind.

"Of course, that's why you looked so familiar!" She realised, and when he looked at her confusedly, she explained, "I have the same dreams and, well, you're in them."

He studied her for a second, his eyes lingering on her lips for a second longer than needed, before it dawned on him. "You're right- you're the other one with two hearts!"

Joan looked unhappy at the revelation and tried to pull the two out of their newly-created bubble. "Well then, I can be the judge of that." She said loudly, pulling a stethoscope out from her doctor's bag. She listened to John's chest and, after hearing only a single heartbeat, looked up with a faintly smug smile.

"I can confirm the diagnosis- just one heart, singular." She told him. "Would you like me to check you, too?" She asked Violet.

She waved the nurse off nonchalantly. "It's just a silly fantasy, that's all."

"I have written down some of these dreams in the form of fiction..." John interrupted anxiously. "Not that it would be of any interest..."

"I'd be very interested." Violet and Joan said simulataneously, making the former laugh.

"Go ahead." She motioned for the nurse to follow John, who had moved over to his desk.

He picked up a leather-bound journal and handed it to her carefully. "Well... I've never shown it to anyone before."

"_'Journal of Impossible Things'._" She read the hand-written title on the first page before going on to turn the pages, seeing all kinds of creatures. Violet recognised most of them from her dreams, but even the ones she didn't looked very familiar.

"Just look at these creatures!" Joan gasped, staring at an ink sketch of a metal creature.

Violet felt a tremble go up her spine. "That's a Dalek, isn't it?"

John nodded distantly. "Yes, they seem to be a reaccurance. My character seems to have a rather strong hate towards them."

"Such imagination. It's wonderful." Joan stated, amazed, and went on flipping pages. Countless monsters and descriptions graced the pages, and she eventually stopped on a portrait of a girl's face. "And quite an eye for the pretty girls."

"That's Rose." The young woman standing behind her stated, overcome with a sudden sadness. "I always seem to find myself guilty when I dream of her."

They went on, looking at the journal and discussing John and Violet's dreams, with Joan feeling a bit left out when the both of them disappeared into their own bubble, animatedly talking about adventures their imaginary characters had had.

Eventually, the three of them had to return to their duties, but not before John asked Violet to the pub after her last class. She agreed with a childish glee that he couldn't help but admire.

Violet's classes had been tiring, escpecially since she had to put a few misogynistic men in their place throughout the day. Still, she went back to her room and changed into a plain, long-sleeved, navy blue dress before running a hand through her uselessly messy curls and sighing.

"This'll just have to do." She said out loud, checking her reflection in a mirror once more before she met John outside of the school.

"Hello, Violet." He smiled, holding out his arm.

She took it, giving him a smile of her own. "How were your classes?" She asked as they started walking.

"Unspectacular- I suppose I can't have a beautiful woman bursting into my class _all_ the time." He teased, making her blush. "What about yours? I do hope the boys weren't too harsh on you- most of them can't help it, they were taught by their fathers." He said, and Violet instantly recognised it was a serious topic for him.

"The boys were fine, mostly. It was the teachers really. I suppose I should watch what I say- I don't think it's wise for me to correct them if I want to stay here." She told John warily.

He sighed. "I'll apologise on their behalf, then."

"It's quite alright, I should be used to this by now." She smiled reassuringly.

They talked about various topics as they walked to the pub, never an awkward silence as they discussed unruly pupils and shared private wishes.

It was the same inside of the pub. After John had gotten himself and Violet something to drink- a pint for him and some water for her- they sat down at a table and started chatting away in their own bubble, blissfully ignorant to everything around them.

Finally, it got late and dark outside, so they decided to start heading back. Just outside of the inn, however, Martha, another maid and Joan were looking up at the sky, seeming bewildered.

John looked at them oddly. "Anything wrong, ladies? Far too cold to be standing around in the dark, don't you-"

"There!" The nurse cut him off, pointing at the sky. Something fell to Earth, burning in a green streak of light. "There, look- in the sky!" She repeated.

"That's beautiful."

They watched as the light faded into the night sky, leaving them in the dark once again. "There... all gone." John stated, looking back at the women. "Commonly known as a meteorite. It's just rocks falling to the ground, that's all." He calmed them.

"It came down in the woods." Joan insisted.

"No, no no, they always look close, when actually they're miles off- nothing left but a cinder." He explained before turning to Violet and the nurse. "Now, I should escort you back to the school. Ladies?" He glanced at the maids as well, ever the gentleman.

"No, we're fine, thanks." Martha waved him off, her eyes still trained on the sky.

"Then I shall bid you goodnight." He put on his hat and held out his arms for Violet and Joan.

They walked off, Joan still going on about the meteor. "It was a great, big, green light- right in front of me, honest!" She exclaimed.

"It was a meteor." John repeated again, slightly irritated at her persistance.

"But it was green!"

Violet sighed. "That comes from the metal atoms in the meteorite. There must have been a lot of magnesium for the atoms to dominate the air plasma emissions. Rather strange for-" She stopped talking when she saw the looks John and Joan were giving her. "Right, sorry. I find physics rather fascinating- I forget to stop talking sometimes."

"No, no, no- you're extraordinary, really. I've never known a woman of such knowledge." John complimented her, which put a blush on her cheeks again.

"You're nurturing my arrogance, John." She teased, giving him a smirk which he found to be appealing on her full lips.

Joan stared at them in envy, remembering her husband's love, as they kept up a steady flow of conversation the entire way back to the school.

Violet, Martha and Captain McDonnell were supporting a screaming Doctor as they rushed into the med-centre, and Martha ran to the stasis chamber, frantically grabbing an instruction manual as the other women lifted the heavily breathing man up onto the bed of it.

The Doctor, painfully trying to keep his eye closed, called out, "Violet? Where are you?"

"I'm here." She told him calmly, putting a hand on his cheek.

"It's burning me up, I can't control it. I could kill you all- all of you!" He screamed, convulsing in pain.

She looked down at him, her hearts being ripped apart, before she turned to Martha. "Minus two-hundred for ten seconds. No more, that's all he'll be able to take, understood?" The woman nodded frightfully and Violet turned her attention back to the Doctor.

"You won't kill anyone. Martha is going to freeze it out of you- you're going to be fine." She soothed him.

"I'm scared! I'm so scared, Violet!" He whimpered, and she closed her eyes for a second, geniunely afraid of seeing the Doctor scared, before moving to lie next to him in the stasis chamber. "What are you doing?" He asked her urgently.

"I promised." Was all she said as she wrapped an arm around him to keep him from moving.

"I don't want to die." He said through gritted teeth as he fought sun's presence in his body. "If I regenerate-"

"You're not going anywhere, Theta." She whispered and shifted her view to Martha. "You ready?"

Martha gave her a hesitant 'Yes', as the Doctor- who felt spoken to since his eyes were closed- said 'No'.

The Time Lords were rolled into the stasis chamber, and a bright light filled it as the process started, the Doctor screaming in pain but Violet barely flinching at the cold. They had reached minus seventy degrees when the light shut off along with the freezing.

The Doctor whimpered and Violet looked at him sadly as she asked Martha, "What was that?! You can't stop, it's not frozen yet!"

She heard the captain's voice, "Power's been cut in engineering."

"Then fix it!" She yelled, not caring about politeness as she saw a tear roll down the side of the Doctor's face, which was covered in ice crystals. She didn't hear McDonnell's reply, but knew she had gone to do as she said.

Violet stroked his rapidly melting face as she called out, "You have to go, Martha!"

"No way!"

Violet groaned before explaining, "You need to get to the front of the ship! The sun particles in the fuel- you have to release them!"

There was a scoff. "I am not leaving him!"

The Doctor parted his lips painfully to speak. "You've got to! Give back what they took!" He yelled.

There was a pause. "I'll be back for you." Martha stated before running away.

He started panting again, and Violet took his face into her hands gently, wiping away a fresh tear and resting her forehead against his softly.

"Please don't leave me." He begged, feeling her presence warm him comfortably despite the raging fire coursing through his veins.

She pressed her lips to his gently before whispering, "Never."

Violet Stewart awoke from her dream in a start. She had had a lot of dreams, but that one- it was different. The Doctor and the fictional Violet had never expressed any sort of loving passion, and she wondered if it had something to do with the hours she had spent with John, the real incarnation of the Doctor in her dreams.

She stared at the ceiling of her room, wishing the plain white would turn into a canopy of stars for her to sleep under, but there was nothing. She longed for calming sounds her fictional time-travelling machine made, but found herself lying in silence. Almost.

When she strained her ears, she could hear someone breathing heavily and mumbling, as if they were sleep-talking.

"I'm scared! I'm so scared, Violet!" The voice said, and Violet remembered her dream- the words the Doctor had spoken. When she heard a familiar scream, she got out of bed and ran into John's bedroom without another thought.

She saw the man lying in bed- his breathing ragged and his face scrunched up in pain- and moved to his side instantly.

"John?" She shook him awake gently, and his gaze locked onto hers in a familiar manner.

"Violet?" He asked warily before sitting up suddenly. "Oh, I'm terrible sorry- I must have woken you. I was just dreaming..." He trailed off, a blush creeping onto his cheeks as he remembered.

She grinned a little, knowing that they must have dreamt the same thing. "I was awake- I had a rather vivid dream that woke me up." She let her eyes drop to his lips for a second before she cleared her throat. "I should probably go..."

John snapped out of his daze. "You could always... stay." He suggested nervously, making Violet smile.

"Perhaps I could."

He moved over to one side of his bed to make room, and she slipped under the warm covers happily, sleep already tugging her under as she rested her head on pyjama-clad chest.

She woke up blissfully calm the next morning, sighing contently as she opened her eyes, taking in John as he slept. His hair was messier and his expression peaceful as his chest rose and fell steadily. She didn't want to wake him, so she got out of bed carefully and left him a note before returning to her room to get dressed.

Once in her room, she cleaned herself before putting on an unspectacular grey dress and trying to fix her hair- in vain, naturally. She sighed, seeing she still had some time before she had to assist in a class, and sat down at her desk to write in her diary.

_Dearest Diary,_

_It's strange here, really. The last day was very exciting and confusing, I suppose I should write it down to clear my mind:_

_I met the man, first of all. The man I dream about all the time, with the two hearts. His name is John Smith, and he's a teacher at this school! It's so irritating to feel like you know someone so well but not really know them at all. Which is funny, because we get on extraordinarily well, it's like we've known eachother for years. I feel a strange sort of attraction towards him- I even slept in his bed last night!_

_I should imagine I have to go now, I can hear the bell ringing. _

_Goodbye, dear friend,_

_Violet Stewart_

Violet was taking a walk for her break, when she walked into the courtyard, seeing a scene that shocked her, for some reason.

Machine guns were set up behind a bunker of sandbags, and the pupils were shooting at enemies made of scarecrows holding sticks and with buckets as helmets. Target practice was common at a school with such military discipline- what shocker her, was John, who stood next to the headmaster, observing and teaching the boys.

She listened in before walking forward, slightly repulsed at seeing the man she had taken a sudden liking to teaching boys how to kill.

A boy named Hutchinson was talking to John. "Didn't I tell you, Sir, this stupid boy is useless! Permission to give Latimer a beating, Sir?"

"It's your class, Mr Smith." The headmaster stated.

"Permission granted." John said lightly, making Violet feel even sicker as she stepped in the way of the boys who were taking Latimer away.

"Permission denied." She stated coldly.

"Miss Stewart!" The headmaster exclaimed. "May I ask what you are doing interfering in men's business?"

"Setting them right." She ground out, glaring at the man.

"I think not. Besides, the shooting ground is no place for a lady." He looked at her somewhat condensendingly.

She scoffed. "Nor is it a place for young boys, _headmaster_."

"It's disciplinary, and they'll put it to good use if they ever go to war- they'll make their families proud." He voiced his opinion loudly, intending for the boys to hear.

"No good if they're dead, is it?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow. "These boys... do you think they'll thank you? When they're sitting in trenches after having killed- do you honestly believe that they'll have happy memories of the men that taught them to do so? Killing changes a person- if it doesn't fill them with unbearable guilt, it makes them angry. You'll be the cause of that." She paused, staring at the shocked men, before adding, "But congratulations- you have a well-behaved school with proud sponsors." With that, she stalked off, a strange rage filling her.

"Miss Stewart! Wait, please!" She heard John's shout along with his footsteps catching up to her and sighed, turning around. "I'm sorry, it must have been rather disturbing for you to see that. Will you take a walk with me? Please?" He begged her sweetly.

She looked at his hopeful, teddy brown eyes and sighed. "Alright then. Will you show me around? I haven't had much time to explore the village."

He saw the mischievous glint in her eyes and chuckled. "I suppose I will be." He said, holding out his arm for her to link hers through, which she did.

They walked into the village, talking easily as they always did. In front of a shop, a piano was being winched up by two men in a rope sling.

"It's funny- I just feel so out of place sometimes, like I shouldn't be here." Violet was saying, and John nodded.

"Yes! Exactly like that. And then I do something I had no idea I could do, and I wonder- what if I didn't belong here. Maybe I'm supposed to be out there, travelling the stars." He looked at her a little sheepishly. "With you." He added.

"I wish." She giggled, spinning around as they came to a stop in the centre of the marketplace. "Imagine it- all the stars, the planets, _the civilisations_! Oh, it'd be wonderful!" She said excitedly.

John chuckled, but his eyes roamed and he spotted a woman with a pram heading towards the builing the piano was being lifted up. He looked over at it, seeing the rope sling ripping slowly, but neither of the men- nor the woman- notice it.

Violet followed his gaze and spotted the exact same problem almost instantly. She looked around, alarmed, and saw a boy mindlessly throwing about with a cricket ball. After glancing back at the woman with the pram, she grabbed it from his hand and threw it a a bundle of scaffolding pipes, which fell and caused a chain reaction. They landed on a plank of wood with a brick sitting upon it, launching it into the air just as the piano started to fall. The brick continued to fall to a collection of metal milk churns that fell into the way of the woman's pram. She let out a scream, just as the piano hit the floor, smashing to the ground- accompanied by the sound of all the keys being pressed by impact.

Both Violet and John looked stunned for a second.

"Wow." The young woman stated, coming out of her daze.

"I should think so!" He grinned at her. "Violet Stewart, you brilliant woman, might I invite you to the village dance this evening?"

She returned his grin with a laugh. "Most certainly, John."

"Should we go on? I wouldn't want you to keep saving the day and depriving me of my pride." He joked lightly.

"You're a man. I don't think you'll ever be able to get past your pride." Violet retorted with a teasing smile.

He laughed, and they walked on- up a hill and onto a path that went right by a field. They kept up a light-hearted banter like old friends, but didn't speak of the past night- even though John was itching to ask her about it.

They were at the peak of the hill when they saw a scarecrow hanging askew, with one arm hanging limply away from its frame.

"I think it's our duty to fix it." Violet said with a grin after John metioned it, and they crossed the field to do so.

She watched him tie the scarecrow's arm back onto the wooden frame, smiling. "You're very artistic- where'd you learn to draw?" She asked.

"Gallifrey." He replied quickly, making her frown. There wasn't a place called Gallifrey on Earth- only in her dreams.

"Gallifrey? The planet with the red grass and silver leaves?" She said, getting him to realise what he said.

"Oh, sorry. Did I say Gallifrey? That was random... sorry." He repeated nervously.

She laughed a little. "I don't mind- it's rather adorable."

"Really?" He asked, blushing, before he switched topics. "Right. Yes. Well, my work is done- what do you think?" He stood back, appraising his work on the scarecrow.

"Masterpiece." She stated, taking off John's hat and putting on her own head with a cheeky smile, daring him take it back.

"That's my hat!" John exclaimed, but was grinning nontheless. "Give it back!"

Violet stuck out her tongue childishly. "Come and take it back, then."

She ran off down the hill, giggling like mad, with John chasing her. She made it quite far, but a few yards in front of the school building, he caught up with her. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist gently but firmly.

"Got you." He breathed with a bright smile on his face.

She put his hat back on his head, laughing. "It appears you have."

"What's my prize?" He asked, his warm breath fanning onto her face due to their proximity.

"Take your pick."

"Can I have _you_?" He suggested with a devilish grin on his face. She nodded with a matching smile, and John leaned forward kiss her, when they heard a shard intake of breath.

Joan.

After talking awkwardly to Joan, who seemed upset at seeing John and Violet together, the two of them went to his study. She was sitting on his sofa, her head tilted, while he finished his sketch of her face, smudging the last pencil-drawn line.

When he was certain he was done, he moved to sit next to her and showed her his journal. "Thank you for letting me draw you- I feel like I wasn't able to do you justice going off of my dreams." He told her, flipping back a few pages to show her another sketch of her face. It wasn't as detailed as the recent one was, but it made her look beautiful nontheless.

"You're very talented." She said soflty, putting a hand on his arm.

"So are you." He said, and Violet could see the sincerity in his eyes.

She shook her head. "No, I just spent too much time with my nose in books."

"No, really, you're amazing." He stated, brushing a stray curl out of her face gently. "You're incredibly headstrong, you make me laugh, you're intelligent... you're beautiful." He whispered and slowly leant forward, pressing his lips to hers. A spark of electricity ran through both of them, and John's hands wove themselves into her hair to keep her body against his. Her warmth overwhelmed him, her fingers lighting his skin on fire as they trailed across it gently.

It was a hesitant kiss, neither one of the two knowing where it would lead them. They didn't have long to find out, unfortunately, because they heard a rattle of the door. They broke apart just in time to see Martha breathlessly running into the room.

"Martha, what have I told you about entering unannounced?" John sighed irritably.

The maid completely disregarded him. "They've found us." She stated.

Violet frowned in confusion. "Who?"

"Martha, I've warned you." John said angrily.

"They've found us, and I've seen them- they look like people, like us, like normal. I'm sorry, but you've got to open the watch." Martha said, appearing to talk nonsense, and looked over to the mantelpiece. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she turned back to John. "Where is it? Oh my god, where's it gone? Where's the watch?" She panicked.

"What are you talking about?" He exclaimed.

"You had a watch, a fob watch." She pointed at the mantelpiece. "Right there!"

"Did I? I don't remember." He said, thinking back.

"Why is it so important?" Violet asked the maid calmly.

"We need it... Oh my god, Violet, we're hiding from aliens with the Doctor! They've taken Jenny- possessed her or copied her- you need to open your watch! Where is it?" She asked the woman.

"A fob watch?" She repeated, making Martha nod violently. "I have one- had it all my life."

"Yes! You need to open it- the Family, they're here! The Doctor said it'd be easier for you to remember..." She paused, remembering something. "Hang on! You have two hearts!" She yelled.

"Two hearts? Martha, I don't understand." Violet stated, completely bewildered.

"Oh I see..." John suddenly said, before quietly telling her, "Cultural differences." He picked up his journal, which rested on his desk, and held it out to Martha. "It must be so confusing for you- Martha, this is what we call a story. "

The maid looked at him in disbelief. "Oh you complete... This isn't you! This is nineteen thirteen!" She waved her hands dramatically.

"Good." He nodded, speaking like he would to a child. "This is nineteen thirteen."

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, but I've got to snap you out of this." She reeled her hand back and slapped him suddenly, making his head snap to the side. "Wake up! You're coming back to the TARDIS with me!" She yelled.

"How dare you!" John shouted. "I'm not going anywhere with an insane servant! Martha, you are dismissed, you will leave these premises immediately. Now get out!" He pulled her to the door and set her outside before slamming the door behind her.

"The nerve of it- absolute cheek! You think I'm a fantasist, what about her?" He commented angrily.

Violet placed a hand on his arm calmingly. "But she's right. You did have a fob watch on your mantelpiece. "It looked just like mine, just like the one we've both dreamt of."

After John had calmed down, Violet had gone back to her room to get ready for the village dance. She had put on a white, floor-length dress which complimented her olive skin beaitifully, and her unruly curls spun down her back to their own accord as per usual. She walked over to her dresser, where she saw her fob watch lying, and picked it up, running her fingers over the circular lines. She sighed, not knowing what to do with it, but slipped it into her bag anyway, feeling it was important.

There was a knock on the door, and Violet went to it slowly, her mind still on the watch in her bag.

"You look stunning." John blurted as soon as she opened it.

"You don't look too shabby yourself, Mr Smith." She teased, taking his outstretched arm. They walked from the school premises, occasionally greeting others as the made their way to the village hall. It was dark on the street, but a man stood in front of the door with a metal mug in his hand.

"Spare a penny for the veterans of the Crimea, sir?" He suggested, rattling the coin-filled mug. John dug through his pockets and handed the man a coin, smiling at Violet as they walked into the hall.

Inside, people were milling about, laughing and talking cheerfully as they drank. The two of them, having only just arrived, were beckoned to the dance floor by the announcer.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Please take your partners for a waltz." He called over the chattering. Violet pulled the man next to her onto the floor, smiling as they took their positions.

"I hope you can dance- I quite like my feet in the arrangement they're currently in." She joked as the music started. They danced along with the other couples, smiling at eachother.

"What do you think? Do my dancing skills do you justice?" He asked after a moment.

She nodded, her brown eyes twinkling in amusement. "Most certainly."

Momentarily stunned by her, John messed up the dance a little, causing them to bump into another couple. After they had apologised, the music ended and John went to get them both a drink while Violet waited at a table off to the side.

While waiting, she spotted Martha heading towards her with a determined look in her eyes. She marched over to her and sat down in the chair across from Violet.

"You feel different, don't you?" Martha demanded and went on when she nodded hesitantly. "You don't remember your past properly, and sometimes you say these things that you don't recall ever learning. You sit somewhere, and this feeling comes over you- like you're completely out of your time. You do, don't you?"

Violet stared at her in shock before nodding again. "Exactly like that." She whispered sadly, just as John came back.

"Oh, now really, Martha." He said warily when he spotted the maid in his seat. "This is getting out of hand. I must insist that you leave."

Martha ignored him and fished a device out of her pocket and held it up. "Do you know what this is? Name it. Go on, name it." She waved it about for good measure, showing both of them the thin, metal cylindrical thing.

Violet, with a sense of familiarity, took the object from her hands, running her fingers over it in wonder.

"You're not John Smith or Violet _Stewart_- you're the Doctor and Violet. The people in your journal, they're real- they're you!" Martha urged them to remember, watching Violet with approval of her behaviour.

"Sonic screwdriver." She stated suddenly, flinging the device away from her as she clutched her head which had started to pound as memories flooded back into her human mind.

The Time War, the people she had lost, the deaths, the murders, the waiting. Then came the Doctor and Rose, then Martha and the Family. The chameleon arch.

Her mind flashed back to what the Doctor had said right before they used the chameleon arch.

_"Now, the TARDIS will take care of everything. Invent a life story for us, find us a setting and integrate us. Can't do the same for you...you'll just have to improvise. We should have just enough residual awareness to let you in. It'll be easier for Violet to remember because she isn't a typical Time Lord- her brain won't store away her conciousness completely. You have to be careful, Martha. If she remembers too soon... It's dangerous."_

She already felt her head pounding under the overload of information and memories in her human brain. Everything she had felt in her long life came crashing back down on her, and she had to fight to keep herself from crying out from their strain.

After a few painful seconds, she snapped back into reality, but her head was still pounding as a large man entered the dance hall with a technologically advance gun in his hand. He knocked over a hat stand violently, making people gasp and scramble away from him.

"There will be silence! All of you!" He shouted while scarecrows filed in- alive- along with Baines and one of Martha's maid friends. More people cried out in shock, causing the man to raise his voice again. "I said silence!"

"Mr Clarke! What's going on?" The announcer demanded, making him turn and fire at him. He dissolved into atoms, causing the room to errupt in shrieks.

Violet looked at John. "I need you to forget all of that. You're John Smith, the teacher, nothing more." She told him quickly.

"We asked for silence!" Baines, the school boy started. "Now then. We have a few questions for Mr Smith."

A little girl with a red balloon stood up from a corner of the room. "No, better than that. The teacher- he's the Doctor and that woman is the Unnamed. I heard them talking." She joined the three intruders in the front of them room.

"You took human form." Baines sneered.

"Of course I'm human, I was born human!" John exclaimed. "As are you, Baines- and Jenny, and you, Mr Clarke! What is going on? This is madness!"

Baines smiled sickly. "And a human brain, too! Simple, thick and dull. "

"He's no good like this." Jenny stated. "We need a Time Lord."

"Easily done." Baines said, pointing his gun at John, who recoiled backwards. "Change back." He demanded.

"I don't know what you're talking about." John insisted.

"Change back!"

"I literally do not know-" He started again, but Jenny grabbed Martha and pointed a gun at the struggling woman.

Baines smirked, looking at Violet. "What about you? The Unnamed. Why don't you make a choice? You can either change back, or we'll shoot the Doctor and your companion. Your pick."

She frowned in mock confusion. "What? I don't understand... Am I the Unnamed? That's a funny name, 'The Unnamed'."

Mr Clarke moved to her suddenly and threatened her with a gun as well. "Change back." He commanded, making Violet scoff.

"Oh, you idiots. Leave it to you to point a gun at the most feared woman in the universe." In the blink of an eye, she had changed her position and was standing with two guns in her hands, one of them pointed at Mr Clarke and the other at Baines- leaving the whole room startled.

She smirked at their confusment. "Drop your guns, boys."


	15. Family of Blood

"You're human! You wouldn't dare to shoot!" Baines smirked.

Violet matched it. "Want to find out?"

"Oh, even as a human- she's full of fire!" He taunted her.

"Yeah, and holding a gun. Let's have a party!" She said sarcastically, gesturing at the weapon in her hand, still pointed at Baines.

He scoffed. "I call your bluff, human."

"Bad move." She stated and shot the ceiling, causing plaster to fall down over the Family. "Don't provoke me. You know exactly who I am and what I'm capable of. Leave!"

"But you're human!" He laughed.

"Doesn't that scare you to death? Because you see, humans act on instinct. If someone was threatening my friends, I might just pull the trigger. Who knows- it could hit you. Want to risk it?" She questioned darkly.

He stared at her for a second before putting down the gun pointed at John, and Jenny released Martha.

Violet nodded. "Smart. Martha, get everyone away!" She yelled, and the woman did so and pulled away John, who looked completely bewildered.

"Alright." Violet looked around quickly. "Just the five of us then. Got any party games? We could play a round of Twister- although I doubt that's been invented yet." She thought out loud, buying some time. When she was certain everyone would be away from the building, she took her guns from Mr Clarke and pointed it at the Family generally. "It's been lovely- really- but I think I should get going now. You can have this," She threw the gun at them. "Never been a fan... Bye!" She retreated to the door, narrowly avoiding a shot in her direction.

She ran outside, where she saw Martha and John standing. "I told you to get _away_!" She groaned, pulling the two with her as she ran past them.

They arrived at the school, and John started ringing a bell as soon as they were inside.

"What are you doing?" Violet demanded.

"Maybe one man can't fight them, but this school teaches us to stand together." He told her before shouting. "Take arms! Take arms!"

"You can't! They're just boys!" She argued.

"Martha wants me to fight, so I will." He told her. "Enemy at the door! Take arms!" He moved into another room, where boys were already loading guns and gathering ammuntion. "Maintain position over the stable yard." He told them.

"They'll get themselves killed!"

He stopped in front of her. "They're cadets, Violet. They are trained to defend the King and all his properties." He said, looking at her pleadingly.

She looked away, glaring at the floor. "Trained to kill." She muttered, fiddling with the dainty bracelet she still wore on her wrist. John noticed her facial expression and winced at all the sorrow and guilt that hadn't been there before. He was about to ask her what was wrong, when the headmaster came bounding in.

"What in thunder's name is this? Before I devise an excellent and endless series of punishments for each and every one of you, could someone explain very simply and immediately exactly what is going on?" He demanded, enraged.

John went to him. "Headmaster, I have to report the school is under attack."

"Really? Is that so?" He looked around, before adding quietly, "Perhaps you and I should have a word in private."

"I promise you, sir. I was in the village with Miss Stewart. It's Baines, sir, Jeremy Baines and Mr Clark from Oakham Farm. They've gone mad, sir- they've got guns. They've already murdered people in the village, I saw it happen!" He explained, ignoring the fact that the headmaster thought he had gone mad.

The headmaster reluctantly looked at Violet. "Miss Stewart, is that so?"

She hesitated in answering, because she knew that he would take the same actions as John, but nodded anyway. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

"Murder on our own soil?" He asked for confirmation.

"Yes, sir."

"Perhaps you did well then, Mr Smith." The man said in approval. "What makes you think the danger's coming here?"

After seeing him stutter nervously, Violet stepped in again. "We were threatened, sir, and they said they were coming here." She almost-lied smoothly.

"Very well. You boys, remain on guard. Mr Snell, telephone the police. Mr Philips, with me- we shall investigate." He ordered, heading out of the room.

Violet blocked his way. "You're walking into your death." She said lowly.

"Miss Stewart, you may have been invited to this school on rather unusual circumstances, but you are still a woman and I expect you to remember your place in society." The man sneered before moving past her.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. "Martha, we need that watch. Can you go find it, please?" She asked, and- for once- the woman obeyed.

John moved to a window which over-looked the courtyard and watched Baines talk to the headmaster and Mr Philips. He heard the boy use words similiar to the ones Violet had used when she saw the boys shooting, and saw Baines kill Mr Philips.

He looked down in respect and fear, visibly gulping, and Violet went over to him. She put a hand on his arm, calming him a little. He gave her a small but grateful smile, just as the headmaster came scurrying inside.

"Mr Philips has been murdered, Mr Smith. Can you tell me why?" He announced, his eyes accusing.

"Honestly, sir, I have no idea." John said genuinely. "And the telephone line's been disconnected. We're on our own."

The headmaster gave him another stern look before backing down. "If we have to make a fight of it, then make a fight we shall. Hutchinson, we'll build a barricade within the courtyards, fortify the entrances, build our defences. Gentlemen, in the name of the King, we shall stand against them."

"Yes, sir!" The boys called out, going off to fulfill their so-called duty. John helped them for a bit before talking to Violet, who stood watching everything silently.

"It's not safe for you to be here." He told her qietly.

"Safer for me than it is for you." She stated, looking back at the door. "Where is Martha with that watch?" She muttered.

"She said that the dreams were true. Does that mean that I'm him... The Doctor?" He asked.

"Yes." She said simply.

"But you want him to come back." He stated.

She nodded. "Terribly."

"But what about me?" He questioned, begging her with his eyes. "I'd just disappear, wouldn't I?"

She gave him a grim look before nodding again. "You're technically him- but yes. He'll take back his body."

"Do you want me to go? I thought we might have..." He trailed off, upset at knowing that the woman he had started to care for so deeply in such a short amount of time, wanted to get rid of him.

"I don't want you to go, I just need Theta back." She smiled sadly. John wasn't accustomed to that. Violet was such a carefree and happy character- the pain in her eyes seemed wrong. Was that all the Time Lord Violet was?

"What about me, though? Don't I mean anything to you?" He pleaded.

"I'm sorry, John, but at the end of the day... You're not real. You're a fraction of Theta, a whisper of his mind." She told him, making his single heart break brutally.

He cupped her face gently, looking deeply into her eyes. "When I kissed you- was that not real?"

"John..." She looked at a boy who was carrying a machine gun outside. "You can't let those boys fight. Neither he nor you could possibly want this. You're better than that." It was her turn to plead, and John nearly gave up.

He turned to look at the door before kissing her swiftly. "What choice do I have?" He mumbled before running off.

Violet stared after him for a second, disbelief on her features. When she snapped out of it, she ran after him, finding him in the courtyard with the rest of the school. The boys were lined up in front of sandbags like they had been for their lessons, machine guns trained on the wooden main doors. There was a visible pounding on them, threatening to crash through the weak material.

Her gaze sifted over them, seeing boys with tears in their eyes. They were terrified- maybe not of death, but of who they might become because of it.

"Fire!" The headmaster commanded as the doors broke, revealing masses of living scarecrows. The boys started shooting, but the creatures continued to progress forward. Violet went to move to John, who was standing behind the boys with a gun in his hands.

"You're a good man, John." She whispered, persuading him enough to drop the weapon.

He looked at her, long and hard, before saying in the same tone, "Not good enough for you."

She gave him a pained look as the headmaster shouted, "Cease fire!"

They watched him announce that the creatures were straw and saw the relief in the boys' eyes, making John see that Violet was right. A young girl suddenly appeared in the arch where the door had previously stood.

"You, child- come out of the way." The headmaster called upon seeing her. "Come into the school, you don't know who's out there. It's the Cartwright girl, isn't it?" He beckoned her over. "Come here. Come to me."

"Mr Rocastle, please. Don't go near her." Martha pleaded.

He gave her a glare. "You were told to be quiet."

"Listen to me, she's part of it! Violet, tell him!" She gave the woman a look.

She nodded. "She was there, sir. You should stay back."

"She was with Baines in the village." John said after a moment's hesitation.

"Mr Smith, I've seen many strange sights this night, but there is no cause on God's earth that would allow me to see this child in the field of battle, sir." The headmaster reprimanded. "Come with me." He told the girl.

"You're funny." She stated.

He nodded, "That's right. Now take my hand."

"So funny." She repeated while pulling something out of her coat and swiftly shooting the headmaster- dissolving him into atoms. "Now who's going to shoot me- any of you, really?" She called out to the boys.

John looked over at Violet before glancing at the scared boys. "Put down your guns." He ordered.

"But sir, the Headmaster-" Hutchinson started.

"I'll not see this happen. Not anymore." He vowed. "You will retreat in an orderly fashion back through the school. Hutchinson, lead the way."

"But sir-"

"I said, lead the way." He said in a firmer tone of voice.

Baines stepped behind the little girl, pointing his gun. "Go on, then, run!" He shouted sinisterly, shooting at the boys.

They screamed in terror as they retreated into the school, followed by the reanimated scarecrows. John, Violet and Martha ran inside as well, telling the boys not to go into the village and to move faster.

"We have to leave!" Martha yelled over the screams.

"Not until we get the boys out." John disagreed, pushing a couple of kids in the direction of a side door.

He turned to the women. "Now, I insist- the pair of you just go. If there are any more boys inside, I'll find them." He opened a door, but slammed it shut on seeing the animated scarecrows standing behind it.

Violet frowned. "I think we'll have to retreat, John. There's nothing we can do at the moment."

Martha nodded in agreement, pulling John out of the school and into the courtyard. They all looked back at the scarecrows slowly but surely approaching them and sprinted off in order to escape them.

The three ran along the outline of the woods hurriedly, but were stopped by the sound of Mr Clark.

"Doctor! Unnamed!" He sang. "Come back, Doctor! Come home! Come and claim your prize!" He was standing before the TARDIS with scarecrows guarding it, looking smug. They continued to call out to the Time Lords as they stared from behind the cover of the trees.

"You recognise it, don't you?" Martha asked John softly, seeing his expression.

"Come out, Doctor! Come to us!" Jenny called out again, making him snap out of his daze.

"I've never seen it in my life." He said stubbornly.

"Do you remember its name?" Martha tried again, and Violet sighed.

"I'm so sorry, John, but that's the TARDIS. The blue box you and the human Violet dreamt about." She told him.

"I'm not... I'm John Smith. That's all I want to be.- John Smith, with his life and his job and his love. Why can't I be John Smith? Isn't he a good man?" He asked desperately, his voice breaking.

"He is." She stated lowly.

"Then why can't I stay?" He questioned, giving Violet a heartbreakingly sad look. "We could be together."

She returned it with a smile that matched in sadness. "Because you're human and you're good. A good man that has never done any wrong in his life... You've never felt pain."

"Why is that bad?"

She laughed bitterly. "Because I'm too selfish to want to be alone."

"You shouldn't have to be." He said softly, giving her a loving smile.

Ignoring Martha completely, she stepped up to him and put a hand on his cheek. "Then come back to me." She whispered.

He stared into her dark eyes, seeing the pain and guilt that swam in them but also discovering a deep care and devotion he hadn't seen before- even Violet herself was shocked.

"You love him?" He asked.

"Possibly."

A feeling of jealousy and relief overcame him at the same time. "Does he love you?"

"He lost someone he loves- I think it's too early for him to let her go." She said distantly, remembering his pain as she gazed over to the TARDIS again. "We have to move, we're not safe here." She stated, running away from the Family and leaving John and Martha to follow.

They ran for a while before Martha turned down a road. "This way, I think I know somewhere we can hide." She informed them.

"We've got to keep going!" John exclaimed, his breathing slightly laboured due to his single heart.

"Just listen to me!" She ordered. Violet nodded at John and got him to follow her to a little cottage. It stood abandoned on an otherwise deserted road, no lights burning.

"Here we are- it should be empty." Martha explained.

"Who lives here?" Violet asked as she picked the lock of the front door with one of Martha's hair pins- since she didn't wear any herself.

When the door opened, they stepped inside and she went over to put a hand on a pot of tea.

"The Cartwrights." Martha answered her previous question. "The little girl from school was Lucy Cartwright- her parents are most likely dead."

John nodded blandly and sat down on a chair. "I must go to them before anyone else dies." He said, and Violet surpressed a smile. Even as a human, he was ever the noble man.

"You can't just hand yourself over!" Martha argued before sighing. "We need that watch..."

"You're this Doctor's companion!" John pointed out fiercely. "Can't do something? What exactly do you do for him? Why does he need you?"

She glanced at Violet, but looked away as soon as she said, "Because he's lonely."

John had followed her gaze and seemed to sense the tension between the two. "Is he?" He asked. "Doesn't he have-"

He was cut off by a knock on the door, and they all swiveled around to face it.

"What if it's them?" John asked fearfully.

"I'm not an expert, but I don't think scarecrows knock." Martha said sarcastically, walking to open the door.

Timothy Latimer stood behind it. "I brought you this." He said quietly, holding out John's fob watch.

"_Violet." _It whispered, and the woman in question stepped forward to take it into her hand, smiling when she felt the presence of a Time Lord in her head.

She went over to John and showed it to him. "Hold it."

"I won't." He refused.

"Please, just hold it." She pleaded.

"It told me to find you." Latimer spoke up. "It wants to be held."

"You've had this watch all this time? Why didn't you return it?" Martha asked, a little annoyed.

"Because it was waiting... and because I was scared of the Doctor." He confessed.

"Why?"

"Because I've seen him." He paused, looking at Violet and adding, "Both of them. They're like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night and she's storm in the heart of the sun."

"Stop it." John ordered weakly, but he went on while Violet just bowed her head.

"They're ancient and forever. They burns at the centre of time and they can see the turn of the universe."

"Stop! I said stop it."

"And they're wonderful." Timothy smiled slightly. "They're destined for eachother, a perfect match." At that, even John smiled, ignoring the feeling from earlier- the odd mix of envy and happiness.

Out of the blue, though, and explosion fell outside.

"What the hell?" Martha gasped.

"They're destroying the village." Violet said quietly, feeling guilty.

John saw this- felt it too- and picked up the fob watch.

"Are you sure?" She asked, knowing what a hard decision it must be for him.

"_Come closer_."

"Can you hear it?" Latimer asked.

"_Closer. Closer_."

"I think he's asleep." John thought out loud. "Waiting to awaken."

"Why did he speak to me?" Timothy questioned curiously.

The Doctor's normal voice, full of a certain confidence and liveliness, came from John. "Oh, low-level telepathic field. You were born with it. Just an extra synaptic engram causing-" He stopped and took a breath. "Is that how he talks?" John's voice returned.

"That's him!" Martha exclaimed excitedly. "All you have to do is open it and he's back."

"You knew this all along and yet you watched while Violet and I..." He trailed off.

"I didn't know how to stop you! He gave me a list of things to watch out for, but that wasn't included." She said, sobering up.

"Falling in love? That didn't even occur to him?" He asked incredulously.

"No." She mumbled.

"Then what sort of man is that?" John demanded.

Violet sighed. "I told you- he had only just lost someone. He wasn't ready to be in another relationship, nor _think_ about being in one."

Another bomb fell, that time nearer to the house. "It's getting closer." Latimer announced.

John looked at the watch in his hands, and his face suddenly brightened. "I should have thought of it before- I can give them this. Just the watch! Then they can leave and I can stay as I am!" He said.

"You can't do that!" Martha cried.

"If they want the Doctor, they can have him." His face darkened.

"You can't do that to me." Violet whispered, her eyes shining with almost-tears.

He turned to her, his eyes filled with concern as he saw her expression. "What do you mean?"

"Me and him- Him and I- we're the last, John." She said, a deep pain stinging her single heart. "We're the only Time Lords left... We only have each other."

"What am I supposed to do?!" He yelled- suddenly jealous- shocking her as well as the two others in the room.

Violet addressed them, her eyes still trained on John. "Martha, Timothy, would you leave us alone, please?"

They look between the two, Martha reluctant to leave them, before they went to stand before the door and watch the terrors the bombing was causing. Martha hugged Timothy to her side, seeing the younger boy scared.

Inside, John and Violet sat next to each other, the former holding his fob watch while the latter kept hers in her bag.

"You have to, John. I'm sorry, I truly am, but you have to." She told him softly.

He looked at her seriously. "He won't love you."

"He's not ready to love anyone again." She said firmly.

"It was real. I wasn't- I really thought..." He stammered, confused and scared, looking down at the watch again.

"Let me see." She held out her hand, so he put the watch in it. When the watch touched both of their hands, images flashed through both of their minds. Their wedding, their children, walking through a park with them, and eventually John's peaceful death in his bed.

"Did you see?" He asked urgently.

She nodded, a sadness overtaking her. "Yes, I did." She held the watch, felt it reach out to her and smiled softly.

"We could have that." John stated, making her look up at him.

"No, we can't." She knelt down before the bench he sat on, taking one of his hands and putting it to her cheek, only to have him pull it away after a second, burning from the scalding heat. "This body can't take the memories- I'm burning it up." She told him gently.

"Why? If this Doctor is so much more important than me- why bother?" He asked remorsefully.

"Because you're brilliant, just like he is." She said simply and genuinely.

He stared at her for a second, his mind proccessing her words, before he pulled her to him, giving her a last, passionate kiss.

Violet and the Doctor barged into the Family's ship rather unelegantly, and they turned to look at the Time Lords.

"Just," The Doctor started, lurching and hitting a few buttons as he scramble back into a standing position. "Just stop the bombardment. That's all I'm asking. I'll do anything you want, just stop." He begged.

"Say please." Baines commanded with a smirk.

"Please."

Jenny gave them a look. "Wait a minute," She inhaled deeply. "Still human."

"Now I can't- I can't pretend to understand, not for a second, but I want you to know that I'm innocent in all this. He made me John Smith- It's not like I had any control over it." The Doctor said while Violet leaned against some controls, also pressing buttons.

"They didn't just make themselves human, they made themselves idiots!" Jenny stated with a grin on her face.

Baines snorted. "Same thing, isn't it?"

Violet interrupted their banter. "I don't care about the Doctor and the Unnamed, or whatever you call her! I'm just human, and I want my family and friends left alone. You can have this." She held out her fob watch, and Baines took the Doctor's as he did the same.

"At last." He sighed before reaching out and grabbing him by his jacket. "Don't think that saved your life. Family of Mine, now we shall have the lives of a Time Lord." He told the three others around him and opened the watches.

"It's empty!" Baines exclaimed after a moment.

Violet looked at him, confused. "Well, where's it gone?"

"You tell me." He glared, throwing them their watches back.

As she caught it, Violet grinned. "Oh, I think the explanation might be: you've been fooled by a simple olfactory misdirection- little bit like ventriloquism of the nose. It's an elementary trick in certain parts of the galaxy. But it has got to be said- I don't like the looks of that hydroconometre. It seems to be indicating you've got energy feedback all the way through the retrostabilisers feeding back into the primary heat converter." She rambled in her normal voice, bewildering the Family.

The Doctor nodded as he looked at the hydroconometre, "'Cause if there's one thing you shouldn't have done, you shouldn't have let ua press all those buttons. But, in fairness, we'll will give you one word of advice." He said, looking at Violet.

"Run!" They both yelled, taking off. They ran across the field, trying to get as far away from the ship as possible before it exploded. The Family, who had followed their lead, lay on the ground a bit further back, and the Time Lords towered over them with identically solemn looks on their faces.

"You wanted forever. Remember that."

"So..." The Doctor started. Martha had gone to sleep after they had said goodbye to Timothy and gone to his rememberance service, so he and Violet were left alone with the awkward tension that had built up between them.

"Yes?" Her head snapped up, her eyes focusing on him rather than her bracelet.

"I just..." He cleared his throat before changing his mind, saying, "Never mind, actually."

Violet nodded, not knowing what to say- she knew they were both thinking about their human versions' relationship but didn't know how to act on it.

"I'm going to go get some sleep. You should, too." She said softly.

He was about to deny it, but when he saw the pleading look on her face, he caved. "I will." He promised, taking her hand and tugging her into the TARDIS' corridors. The rooms had shifted and the only door that stood before them was the white one to Violet's room, making her sigh.

"What's all this about?" She asked the TARDIS out loud. The machine hummed, the sound resembling somewhat to a mother's caring laughter.

"You know he needs to sleep- let him go to his room!" She said in an annoyed tone, but received only a stubborn hum in return.

The Doctor smirked slightly. "Looks like she agrees with me- I'm not tired."

"No, she doesn't." She turned to face him, putting a hand on his cheek. "You _are_ tired, Theta."

"I have nowhere to sleep." He countered, making the white, elegant door in front of them swing open, revealing Violet's room.

They both turned to look at it, and she smiled a little. "The TARDIS has spoken." She pulled him into her room. "You can sleep here, if she's going to be so _damn stubborn_."

They entered the plain room, the Doctor looking around in amazement- he hadn't seen her bedroom before. It was understated, the walls a light blue and a large bed in the centre of it. There were a few other pieces of furniture standing, but he took a lot more interest in her walls, which were covered in pieces of paper.

Equations, drawings, music sheets and writing, Circular and Old High Gallifreyan among it. His eyes trailed over everything, reading it quickly but stopping to evaluate the drawings. There was a sketch of him and Rose, which surprised him.

"Did you draw that?" He asked.

She glanced at the image and nodded. "Yeah."

He thought back to what Violet had said to John about him still loving Rose. "I... I don't love her anymore." He stammered weakly.

She smiled at him sadly. "Yes, you do."

He stared at her for a second, thinking about his memoried with her as a human and nodded in slight agreement before nervously saying, "I think that... maybe... I'm ready to move on now, though."

Violet grinned slightly. "I'm going to change, so... Make yourself at home, I guess." She said before walking into the ajoined bathroom, leaving him to look around some more.

He looked over the drawings again, seeing drawings of people he couldn't put names to and monsters he knew all too well. There was everything and anything on her walls, but what intrigued him most were the pictures of planets that were no longer in the sky.

"Those must be the ones she-"

"Murdered in cold blood, yes." Violet interrupted his murmur, making him jump. She had changed into some pyjama shorts and a tank top, and was leaning against her bathroom door, watching him.

"It's not your fault." He stated firmly after the initial shock.

"It's funny how we keep telling each other that but don't even consider believing it..." She mused, raising an eyebrow as she took in his figure, still dressed in his suit and tie. "Are you going to sleep in that?"

He looked down at his clothes, a nervous blush forming on his cheeks. "What else am I supposed to sleep in?"

Violet gave him a grin and walked to her wardrobe, pulling out a pair of pyjama bottoms and throwing them at him. "The TARDIS may be incredibly headstong, but she's not going to try and make you strangle yourself." She teased, pulling at his tie.

He gave her a pointed look but Violet just laughed, shooing him into the bathroom before she she settled down in her bed. She waited for only a few moments before the Doctor came back out, moving to lie next to her.

They were in silence for a bit, neither of them knowing what to do, but Violet ended up shifting closer to him in search for his familiar warmth.

He spoke up after a while. "Violet?"

"Hm?" Was all she let out, too comfortable to be bothered to speak. He chuckled a little before his body suddenly hovered over hers. His gaze burned into her hers intensly, and she found herself left breathless by what she saw in his eyes.

She smiled, giving him the 'OK' to move down to kiss her. It was desperate and almost instinctual as Violet ran her fingers through his already messy hair, enjoying the sparks that ignited in her skin as he moved a hand to her hip.

Love. She saw love in his eyes, tainted with only care and adoration, and when they came up for air, she grinned.

"Hello." She said hoarsely, making him laugh.

"Hello." He agreed, resting his forehead on hers. "I don't think we can go back from this."

"I don't think I want to." She replied when she regained her composure, a teasing smile on her newly-tender lips.

"So where does that leave us?" He asked.

"Well," Violet began. "If we can't go back... All we can do is go forward, can't we?"

The Doctor grinned, kissing her once more. "Forward it is."


	16. Sequel, Teaser and Many Thanks

Hello!

So, here we are... I've spent a lot of time writing this story (the last few months) and I've put up a chapter every day after I was finished so you lot had a steady flow. I just wanted to say that the entire experience of writing this fan-fic has given me a lot more insight on what it's like to be a writer, and the difficulties and hurdles you can come across.

Also, I wanted to inform you that** there will be a sequel**.

It'll take a while before I post it here, but it will come. I've already posted a teaser on my Tumblr, if you're interested.

(Note that it'll be up at 3:20 GMT)

I thank you all for supporting me through-out by time here, and I hope you continue to do so, even while I'm busy writing the sequel.

I wish you all a wonderful day! (and I order you to watch BCCs Sherlock if you haven't yet. I got obsessed and I may or may not be writing a fan-fiction. You choose.)

-Love, Miriam


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